Mastering Internet of Things

Understanding methods

Each request specifies one HTTP method to call. The HTTP method is a simple string provided in the request. Even though web servers are technically free to invent their own methods, the HTTP 1.1 specification only defines nine methods, of which you typically only use five: GET, HEAD, POST, PUT and DELETE. A sixth method OPTIONS can be used to request information from a resource what communication options it supports. Use OPTIONS to learn what methods are supported by a resource.

The HTTP method should be seen as a method on the web server. It should not be confused with a method on an underlying service hosted by the web server, which is more related to the resource path than the HTTP method.

The GET method retrieves ...