why do we use "post" method instead of "get" method in Rest Api

[Madhan007]

Hi all,
We had an Integration Requirement where we pass the 'Name' parameter in the Rest Api message and get the respective 'ID' in return. But for this,  I dont Understand why POST method has been used instead of GET method. Please pour your insights into this.

Thank you!

[Robbie]

Hi @Madhan007,

Did you see my earlier response?

So my answer is not lost in the thread, I've re-posted it.

Interesting question. Do you know if there were/are any security concerns with the ID or data being returned? The only justification I've seen previously for using a 'post' method rather than a 'get' method is because the data sent is part of the URL with a 'get'.

Additionally, a 'post' is not cached and parameters are not saved in the browser history.

I'd steer you the below for a quick overview of the differences and let you determine what's best, however, generally, your spidey senses are correct. This would normally be a 'get'

To help others (or for me to help you more directly), please mark this response correct by clicking on Accept as Solution and/or Helpful.

Thanks, Robbie

The following table compares the two HTTP methods: GET and POST. (Source: W3C)

  GET POST

BACK button/Reload	Harmless	Data will be re-submitted (the browser should alert the user that the data are about to be re-submitted)
Bookmarked	Can be bookmarked	Cannot be bookmarked
Cached	Can be cached	Not cached
Encoding type	application/x-www-form-urlencoded	application/x-www-form-urlencoded or multipart/form-data. Use multipart encoding for binary data
History	Parameters remain in browser history	Parameters are not saved in browser history
Restrictions on data length	Yes, when sending data, the GET method adds the data to the URL; and the length of a URL is limited (maximum URL length is 2048 characters)	No restrictions
Restrictions on data type	Only ASCII characters allowed	No restrictions. Binary data is also allowed
Security	GET is less secure compared to POST because data sent is part of the URL Never use GET when sending passwords or other sensitive information!	POST is a little safer than GET because the parameters are not stored in browser history or in web server logs
Visibility	Data is visible to everyone in the URL	Data is not displayed in the URL

[Madhan007]

Hi @Robbie, How does "Post" Method can fetch data without creating a Record in the database?

[Robbie]

Hi @Madhan007,

So I can provide context and perhaps an example, can you advise if the POST is inbound (received into your SN instance) or outbound (sent from SN to another system)

To help others (or for me to help you more directly), please mark this response correct by clicking on Accept as Solution and/or Helpful.

Thanks, Robbie

[Madhan007]

Hi @Robbie , it is outboud (sent from SN to other)