HTTP

HyperText Transfer Protocol

HTTP is a protocol, which is used to transfer data over the internet. It is primarily used between webbrowsers and webservers.

• Connectionless - The client always makes a REQUEST and awaits a RESPONSE. When the communication ends the connection is lost.
• Stateless - Client and server only know each other during a REQUEST/RESPONSE pairing.
• Media Independant - A variety of datatypes can be sent with this protocol. Text, images and many kinds of files.

HTTP METHODS

GET()

Used to REQUEST data from a specific resource on a server. When a client sends a GET-request, it is asking the server to send the REQUESTED resource back in it’s RESPONSE. This is usually used to retrieve data from the server. For example the HTML content on a website.

POST()

Used to send data to a server to create or update resources. POST-requests are usually used when user input is involved. For example when a user is filling out a form on a webpage.

PUT()

Used to upload a brand new resource to the server or to update an existing resource. When a client is sending a PUT-request, it is asking the server to save the specified resource. This method is normally used to update data on a server, for example to update files on a server.

DELETE()

Used to request the deletion of a specific resource on a server. When a client is sending a DELETE-request, it is asking the server to remove the specified resource. This method is used to clean up unnecessary data on a server.