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httppostmethods
just_another_question
just_another_question

Reputation: 91

Etymology of HTTP POST request?

In reading about HTTP POST requests, both "POST" and "GET" are always capitalized. Is this because they stand for something? If so, what do they stand for? I've checked all the most basic docs but there's never any mention about how they get their names.

Upvotes: 1

Views: 77

Answers (1)

Xavier Brassoud
Xavier Brassoud

Reputation: 717

From Mozilla documentation:

HTTP defines a set of request methods to indicate the desired action to be performed for a given resource. Although they can also be nouns, these request methods are sometimes referred to as HTTP verbs. Each of them implements a different semantic, but some common features are shared by a group of them: e.g. a request method can be safe, idempotent, or cacheable.

So, no. POST, GET, PUT, PATCH... refers to the names of the methods for which they are dedicated.

They are case-sensitive according to RFC 7230 section 3.1.1.  :

The method token indicates the request method to be performed on the target resource. The request method is case-sensitive.

We can assume they are capitalized by convention. To differentiate an HTTP verb from an english verb. Eg. : GET users (meaning domain.com/users, we speak about an HTTP endpoint) instead of get users (take users ?)

Upvotes: 1

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