GET vs POST: What's the Difference? (2026)

GET vs POST: What's the Difference? (2026)

GET and POST are the two most commonly used HTTP methods, and understanding when to use each one is fundamental to web development and API design. This guide explains the differences clearly, with code examples, comparison tables, and practical guidance for real-world use.

Quick Comparison

Feature	GET	POST
Purpose	Retrieve data	Send/create data
Data location	URL query string	Request body
Visibility	Data visible in URL	Data hidden in body
Caching	Cacheable by default	Not cacheable by default
Bookmarkable	Yes	No
Browser history	Parameters saved	Parameters not saved
Data length	Limited (~2,048 chars URL limit)	No practical limit
Idempotent	Yes (same request = same result)	No (may create duplicates)
Safe	Yes (should not modify data)	No (modifies server state)
Back button	Safe to re-execute	Browser warns before re-submission
Encoding	application/x-www-form-urlencoded	Multiple types supported

How GET Works

A GET request retrieves data from a server. Parameters are sent as query strings in the URL.

Example: Fetching User Data

GET /api/users?page=1&limit=10&sort=name HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com
Accept: application/json
Authorization: Bearer token123

The server responds with the requested data:

{
  "users": [
    {"id": 1, "name": "Alice", "email": "alice@example.com"},
    {"id": 2, "name": "Bob", "email": "bob@example.com"}
  ],
  "total": 42,
  "page": 1,
  "limit": 10
}

GET in Code

JavaScript (fetch):

// Simple GET request
const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/users?page=1&limit=10');
const data = await response.json();

// With headers
const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/users?page=1', {
  method: 'GET',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer token123',
    'Accept': 'application/json'
  }
});

Python (requests):

import requests

# Simple GET
response = requests.get('https://api.example.com/users', params={
    'page': 1,
    'limit': 10,
    'sort': 'name'
})
data = response.json()

# The params dict becomes: /users?page=1&limit=10&sort=name

cURL:

curl -X GET "https://api.example.com/users?page=1&limit=10" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer token123" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"

When to Use GET

• Fetching a list of items (users, products, articles)
• Loading a single resource by ID (/users/42)
• Search queries (/search?q=python+tutorial)
• Filtering and pagination (/products?category=electronics&page=2)
• Any operation that does not change data on the server

How POST Works

A POST request sends data to the server, typically to create a new resource or submit information. Data is sent in the request body, not the URL.

Example: Creating a User

POST /api/users HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer token123

{
  "name": "Charlie",
  "email": "charlie@example.com",
  "role": "developer"
}

The server responds with the created resource:

{
  "id": 43,
  "name": "Charlie",
  "email": "charlie@example.com",
  "role": "developer",
  "createdAt": "2026-02-06T10:30:00Z"
}

POST in Code

JavaScript (fetch):

const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/users', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': 'Bearer token123'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    name: 'Charlie',
    email: 'charlie@example.com',
    role: 'developer'
  })
});

const newUser = await response.json();

Python (requests):

import requests

response = requests.post('https://api.example.com/users', json={
    'name': 'Charlie',
    'email': 'charlie@example.com',
    'role': 'developer'
}, headers={
    'Authorization': 'Bearer token123'
})

new_user = response.json()

cURL:

curl -X POST "https://api.example.com/users" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer token123" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Charlie",
    "email": "charlie@example.com",
    "role": "developer"
  }'

When to Use POST

• Creating new resources (users, orders, comments)
• Submitting form data (contact forms, login forms)
• Uploading files
• Triggering actions (send email, process payment)
• Sending sensitive data (passwords, tokens)
• Any operation that changes data on the server

Key Differences Explained

1. Data Location

GET sends data in the URL as query parameters:

https://api.example.com/search?query=javascript&page=1

POST sends data in the request body:

POST /search HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/json

{"query": "javascript", "page": 1}

This matters because URLs are logged, cached, stored in browser history, and visible in the address bar. Sensitive data should never go in a URL.

2. Idempotency

GET is idempotent: Making the same GET request 10 times produces the same result. Fetching /users/42 always returns user 42 (assuming the data has not changed independently).

POST is not idempotent: Making the same POST request 10 times may create 10 duplicate resources. Posting to /orders with the same data could create 10 identical orders.

# GET: Safe to retry
for _ in range(10):
    response = requests.get('/api/users/42')  # Always returns user 42

# POST: Dangerous to retry without safeguards
for _ in range(10):
    response = requests.post('/api/orders', json=order_data)  # Creates 10 orders!

This is why browsers warn you when you try to refresh a page that was loaded via POST.

3. Caching

GET responses are cached by default by browsers, CDNs, and proxies. This makes repeated requests fast but can cause stale data issues.

POST responses are not cached by default. Each request goes to the server.

# GET: Second request may come from cache
requests.get('/api/products')  # Fetches from server
requests.get('/api/products')  # May return cached response

# To prevent caching, add cache-busting or headers
requests.get('/api/products', headers={'Cache-Control': 'no-cache'})

4. Data Size Limits

GET is limited by the maximum URL length. While the HTTP spec does not define a limit, browsers and servers typically enforce limits:

Browser/Server	URL Length Limit
Chrome	~2 MB (practical limit ~8,000 chars)
Firefox	~65,536 chars
Safari	~80,000 chars
Internet Explorer (legacy)	2,083 chars
Apache	8,190 chars (default)
Nginx	8,192 chars (default)
IIS	16,384 chars (default)

POST has no practical limit on body size. You can send megabytes of data, file uploads, or large JSON payloads.

5. Security

Neither GET nor POST is inherently "secure" -- both need HTTPS for encryption. However, there are important security differences:

GET parameters are exposed in:

• Browser address bar
• Browser history
• Server access logs
• Referrer headers
• Browser bookmarks
• Proxy server logs

POST body data is:

• Not visible in the URL
• Not stored in browser history
• Not included in referrer headers
• Still visible in server logs (if the server logs request bodies)
• Still visible in network tools (unless using HTTPS)

# Bad: password in URL (GET)
GET /login?username=alice&password=secret123

# Better: password in body (POST)
POST /login
Content-Type: application/json
{"username": "alice", "password": "secret123"}

# Both require HTTPS for actual security

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using GET to Modify Data

# WRONG: GET should not modify data
@app.route('/api/users/42/delete', methods=['GET'])
def delete_user():
    db.delete_user(42)
    return {'status': 'deleted'}

# RIGHT: Use DELETE or POST for data modification
@app.route('/api/users/42', methods=['DELETE'])
def delete_user():
    db.delete_user(42)
    return {'status': 'deleted'}

Why this matters: web crawlers, prefetching browsers, and proxy servers may follow GET URLs automatically. If your GET endpoint deletes data, a Google bot crawling your site could delete your entire database.

Mistake 2: Sending Sensitive Data via GET

# WRONG: API key in URL (logged everywhere)
requests.get('/api/data?api_key=sk-secret-key-12345')

# RIGHT: API key in header
requests.get('/api/data', headers={'Authorization': 'Bearer sk-secret-key-12345'})

Mistake 3: Not Handling POST Duplicates

# WRONG: No duplicate protection
@app.route('/api/orders', methods=['POST'])
def create_order():
    order = db.create_order(request.json)
    return order

# RIGHT: Use idempotency keys
@app.route('/api/orders', methods=['POST'])
def create_order():
    idempotency_key = request.headers.get('Idempotency-Key')
    if idempotency_key:
        existing = db.get_order_by_idempotency_key(idempotency_key)
        if existing:
            return existing
    order = db.create_order(request.json, idempotency_key=idempotency_key)
    return order

Beyond GET and POST: Other HTTP Methods

GET and POST are the most common, but HTTP defines additional methods for specific operations:

Method	Purpose	Idempotent	Example
GET	Read data	Yes	GET /users/42
POST	Create data	No	POST /users
PUT	Replace data entirely	Yes	PUT /users/42
PATCH	Update data partially	No*	PATCH /users/42
DELETE	Remove data	Yes	DELETE /users/42
HEAD	Get headers only (no body)	Yes	HEAD /users/42
OPTIONS	Get supported methods	Yes	OPTIONS /users

*PATCH can be implemented as idempotent, but it is not required by the spec.

RESTful API Design Pattern

Operation	HTTP Method	Endpoint	Body
List all users	GET	/api/users	None
Get one user	GET	/api/users/42	None
Create a user	POST	/api/users	User data
Update a user	PUT	/api/users/42	Full user data
Partial update	PATCH	/api/users/42	Changed fields only
Delete a user	DELETE	/api/users/42	None
Search users	GET	/api/users?name=alice	None

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send a body with a GET request? Technically yes, but it is strongly discouraged. Many servers, proxies, and libraries ignore or strip GET request bodies. Some even reject them. Use query parameters for GET data.

Is POST more secure than GET? Not inherently. POST hides data from the URL bar and browser history, but without HTTPS, both are sent in plain text over the network. Always use HTTPS for security.

Should login forms use GET or POST? Always POST. You never want usernames and passwords to appear in URLs, browser history, or server access logs.

When should I use PUT instead of POST? Use POST when the server determines the resource URL (e.g., auto-generated ID). Use PUT when the client specifies the exact resource to create or replace.

What about GraphQL? It uses POST for everything. GraphQL typically uses POST for all operations (queries and mutations) because queries can be too long for URLs. This is a valid design choice for GraphQL APIs, though some implementations support GET for queries.

Wrapping Up

The core rule is simple: use GET to read data and POST to write data. GET requests should never modify server state, and sensitive data should never go in URLs.

Beyond that, remember that GET is cacheable and idempotent (safe to retry), while POST is neither. Use HTTPS for both, implement idempotency keys for critical POST endpoints, and follow RESTful conventions for clean API design.

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