The difference between get request and post request

The differences between get requests and post requests mainly include idempotence, parameter transfer method, security and applicable scenarios. Detailed introduction: 1. Idempotence, the GET request is an idempotent request, that is, the same URL and parameters are requested multiple times, the results are the same, and will not affect the server side, while the POST request is not idempotent. Yes, multiple requests may have different effects on the server side; 2. Parameter transfer method, GET request appends the requested parameters to the URL in the form of a query string, etc.

GET request and POST request are two common request methods in the HTTP protocol. They have some differences in data transmission and usage.

First of all, the GET request is an idempotent request, that is, if you request the same URL and parameters multiple times, the result will be the same and will not affect the server side. POST requests are not idempotent, and multiple requests may have different effects on the server. This means that if you use GET requests to perform operations with side effects, such as modifying data, deleting data, etc., it may lead to unpredictable results. POST requests are more suitable for performing operations with side effects.

Secondly, the GET request appends the requested parameters to the URL in the form of a query string, for example: http://example.com/api?param1=value1¶m2=value2. The advantage of this method is that the parameters are directly exposed in the URL, making it easy to pass and debug, but there are also some limitations. The HTTP protocol has certain restrictions on the length of the URL. If there are too many or too long parameters, the URL may be too long and exceed the limits of the browser or server. The POST request puts the request parameters in the request message body and will not be directly exposed in the URL. It can transfer a large amount of data without being limited by the length of the URL.

Third, the parameters of the GET request will be saved in the browser's history and cache files, and can easily be obtained by others. This means that the parameters passed in the GET request may be viewed by others in the browser's history or cache files, which poses a certain security risk. The parameters of the POST request will not be saved in the browser's history and cache files, which is relatively safer. However, it should be noted that the parameters of the POST request may still be intercepted by network packet capture tools during the transmission process. Therefore, when transmitting sensitive information, encryption methods such as HTTPS need to be used to protect the security of the data.

In addition, the data requested by GET will appear in the URL in clear text, which is not suitable for transmitting sensitive information. Because URLs can be intercepted and viewed by others on the network, if you need to transfer sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, etc., you should use POST requests and use encryption methods such as HTTPS to protect data security.

In actual applications, GET requests are often used to obtain data, such as browsing web pages, searching, and other operations. Because the parameters of the GET request are directly exposed in the URL, it is very convenient to pass the parameters through the URL. POST requests are often used to submit data, such as submitting forms, uploading files, etc. Because the parameters of the POST request are not directly exposed in the URL, a large amount of data can be passed, and it is suitable for submitting large amounts of data.

To sum up, the differences between GET requests and POST requests mainly include idempotence, parameter transfer method, security and applicable scenarios. When choosing whether to use a GET request or a POST request, you need to decide based on specific business needs and security considerations. The GET request is suitable for obtaining data, and the parameters are directly exposed in the URL, which is convenient for delivery and debugging; while the POST request is suitable for submitting data, and the parameters are placed in the message body of the request, which is suitable for transferring large amounts of data and is relatively safer.

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