Below table summarises the use of HTTP methods discussed above.
| HTTP METHOD | CRUD | ENTIRE COLLECTION (E.G. /USERS) | SPECIFIC ITEM (E.G. /USERS/123) |
|---|---|---|---|
| POST | Create | 201 (Created), ‘Location’ header with link to /users/{id} containing new ID. | Avoid using POST on single resource |
| GET | Read | 200 (OK), list of users. Use pagination, sorting and filtering to navigate big lists. | 200 (OK), single user. 404 (Not Found), if ID not found or invalid. |
| PUT | Update/Replace | 404 (Not Found), unless you want to update every resource in the entire collection of resource. | 200 (OK) or 204 (No Content). Use 404 (Not Found), if ID not found or invalid. |
| PATCH | Partial Update/Modify | 404 (Not Found), unless you want to modify the collection itself. | 200 (OK) or 204 (No Content). Use 404 (Not Found), if ID not found or invalid. |
| DELETE | Delete | 404 (Not Found), unless you want to delete the whole collection — use with caution. | 200 (OK). 404 (Not Found), if ID not found or invalid. |
