HTTP

HTTP is a method for encoding and transporting data between a client and a server. It is a request/response protocol: clients issue requests and servers issue responses with relevant content and completion status info about the request. HTTP is self-contained, allowing requests and responses to flow through many intermediate routers and servers that perform load balancing, caching, encryption, and compression.

A basic HTTP request consists of a verb (method) and a resource (endpoint). Below are common HTTP verbs:

Verb   | Description                   | Idempotent* | Safe | Cacheable                               |
-------|-------------------------------|-------------|------|-----------------------------------------|
GET    | Reads a resource              | Yes         | Yes  | Yes                                     |
POST   | Creates a resource or trigger | No          | No   | Yes if response contains freshness info |
PUT    | Creates or replace a resource | Yes         | No   | No                                      |
PATCH  | Partially updates a resource  | No          | No   | Yes if response contains freshness info |
DELETE | Deletes a resource            | Yes         | No   | No                                      |

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