What is get and post method on API

Overview

In REST APIs, GET and POST are the two most commonly used HTTP methods. They serve fundamentally different purposes.

---

GET Method

GET is used to retrieve data from the server. It does NOT modify any data.

dartCopy
// GET — fetch list of users
final response = await http.get(
  Uri.parse('https://api.example.com/users'),
  headers: {'Authorization': 'Bearer $token'},
);
// Response body contains the data

GET with Query Parameters

dartCopy
// GET with query params — filter users by city
final uri = Uri.parse('https://api.example.com/users')
    .replace(queryParameters: {'city': 'Chennai', 'limit': '10'});

final response = await http.get(uri);
// URL becomes: https://api.example.com/users?city=Chennai&limit=10

---

POST Method

POST is used to send data to the server — to create a new resource.

dartCopy
// POST — create a new user
final response = await http.post(
  Uri.parse('https://api.example.com/users'),
  headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
  body: jsonEncode({
    'name': 'Alice',
    'email': 'alice@example.com',
    'age': 28,
  }),
);

---

Key Differences

---

All HTTP Methods Overview

---

REST Conventions

textCopy
GET    /users          → Get all users
GET    /users/123      → Get user with id 123
POST   /users          → Create a new user
PUT    /users/123      → Replace user 123 entirely
PATCH  /users/123      → Update specific fields of user 123
DELETE /users/123      → Delete user 123

---

Status Codes

Rule: GET = reading, POST = creating. Always use HTTPS to protect data in transit regardless of the HTTP method.