2026-03-07 15:55 Tags:Technical Literacy

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1. What an HTTP method actually is

An HTTP method tells the server what action you want to perform on a resource.

Think of it like the verb in a sentence.

Example sentence:

I read a book.

• book = resource

• read = action

In HTTP:

GET /posts

• /posts = resource

• GET = action

So:

HTTP method = the operation you want to perform on data.

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2. The 4 most important HTTP methods

In practice, 90% of APIs use just four methods.

Method	Meaning	What it does
GET	retrieve	read data
POST	create	add new data
PUT / PATCH	update	modify data
DELETE	delete	remove data

These correspond almost perfectly to database operations.

HTTP	Database
GET	SELECT
POST	INSERT
PUT/PATCH	UPDATE
DELETE	DELETE

So APIs are basically remote databases accessed via HTTP.

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3. GET — retrieve data

GET is the most common method.

It asks the server to send back data.

Example:

GET https://api.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/top.json

The server responds with JSON:

{
 "title": "Best FIRE strategy",
 "upvotes": 1340
}

Important characteristics:

• does not change data

• safe to repeat

• used for reading

Example APIs using GET:

• fetch tweets

• fetch Reddit posts

• fetch user profile

• fetch product list

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4. POST — create something

POST means:

create a new resource.

Example:

POST https://api.notion.com/v1/pages

Body:

{
 "title": "Research notes"
}

The server creates a new page.

POST is used when:

• creating a user

• adding a comment

• creating a payment

• inserting data into a database

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5. PUT vs PATCH — update data

Both modify existing resources.

PUT

PUT replaces the entire object.

Example:

PUT /users/123

Body:

{
 "name": "Yachen",
 "age": 24
}

This replaces the whole record.

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PATCH

PATCH updates only part of the object.

Example:

PATCH /users/123

Body:

{
 "age": 25
}

Only the age changes.

Most modern APIs use PATCH instead of PUT.

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6. DELETE — remove something

DELETE removes a resource.

Example:

DELETE /posts/456

Server deletes post 456.

Common use cases:

• delete comment

• delete account

• delete item in cart

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7. A real REST example

Imagine a todo app API.

Create task:

POST /tasks

Read tasks:

GET /tasks

Update task:

PATCH /tasks/42

Delete task:

DELETE /tasks/42

This structure is used everywhere.

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8. How this appears inside n8n

When you configure an HTTP Request node, you choose the method.

Example for Reddit:

Method:

GET

URL:

https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/top.json

Because you’re retrieving data.

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If you were writing to Notion:

Method:

POST

Because you’re creating a new page.

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9. One subtle concept (important)

HTTP methods also describe side effects.

Method	Safe	Changes server?
GET	yes	no
POST	no	yes
PUT	no	yes
PATCH	no	yes
DELETE	no	yes

GET should never change data.

That’s why browsers can safely cache GET requests.

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10. Mental model that helps a lot

Think of an API as a remote database table.

Example table:

posts

id	title
1	Hello
2	FIRE strategy

Operations:

Read:

GET /posts

Insert:

POST /posts

Update:

PATCH /posts/2

Delete:

DELETE /posts/2

So HTTP methods = database operations over the internet.

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Since you’re building automation workflows, the next concept that will make everything click is actually:

the full anatomy of an API request:

Method
URL
Headers
Body
Query parameters

Once you understand that structure, you’ll be able to look at any API documentation and instantly know how to use it.