---
title: What are API Methods?
description: "***What are API Methods?*** ### **HTTP Methods** HTTP methods, also known as \"verbs,\" define the type of action to be performed on a resource. Here are the most commonly used HTTP methods: #### **1. GET** - **Purpose**: Retrieve data from…"
url: "https://vinothqaacademy.com/docs/what-are-api-methods/"
updated: "2024-09-06"
category: API Testing
tags:
  - API Testing
---

# What are API Methods?

***What are API Methods?***

### **HTTP Methods**

HTTP methods, also known as "verbs," define the type of action to be performed on a resource. Here are the most commonly used HTTP methods:

#### **1. GET**

- **Purpose**: Retrieve data from the server.
- **Idempotent**: Yes (multiple identical requests will yield the same result).
- **Sample Example**: Fetching a list of users.

```
GET /users HTTP/1.1

Host: example.com
```

- **Response**:

```
[

  {"id": 1, "name": "John Doe"},

  {"id": 2, "name": "Jane Smith"}

]
```

#### **2. POST**

- **Purpose**: Send data to the server to create a new resource.
- **Idempotent**: No (sending the same request multiple times can create multiple resources).
- **Sample Example**: Creating a new user.

```
POST /users HTTP/1.1

Host: example.com

Content-Type: application/json

{

  "name": "John Doe",

  "email": "john.doe@example.com"

}
```

- **Response:**

```
HTTP/1.1 201 Created

Location: /users/1
```

#### **3. PUT**

- **Purpose**: Update an existing resource or create a resource if it doesn’t exist.
- **Idempotent**: Yes (sending the same request multiple times will result in the same state).
- **Sample Example**: Updating a user's information.

```
PUT /users/1 HTTP/1.1

Host: example.com

Content-Type: application/json

{

  "name": "John Doe",

  "email": "john.newemail@example.com"

}
```

- **Response**:

```
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
```

#### **4. DELETE**

- **Purpose**: Remove a resource from the server.
- **Idempotent**: Yes (deleting a resource multiple times results in the same state, i.e., the resource being absent).
- **Sample Example**: Deleting a user.

```
DELETE /users/1 HTTP/1.1

Host: example.com
```

- **Response**:

```
HTTP/1.1 204 No Content
```

#### **5. PATCH**

- **Purpose**: Apply partial updates to a resource.
- **Idempotent**: Yes (the same PATCH request will result in the same state).
- **Sample Example**: Updating only the email of a user.

```
PATCH /users/1 HTTP/1.1

Host: example.com

Content-Type: application/json

{

  "email": "john.updated@example.com"

}
```

- **Response**:

```
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
```

#### **6. HEAD**

- **Purpose**: Same as GET, but it only retrieves the headers, not the body.
- **Idempotent**: Yes.
- **Sample Example**: Checking if a resource exists without downloading it.

```
HEAD /users/1 HTTP/1.1

Host: example.com
```

- **Response**:

```
HTTP/1.1 200 OK

Content-Length: 348

Content-Type: application/json
```