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resthttpjax-rshttp-put

JAX-RS passing parameters to a PUT request

I've heard that in REST world, POST is recommended to create an entry, while PUT is recommended to update an entry.

First, I'd like a confirmation of this statement.

Then, using this assumptions, let's say I have a @POST method to create a user and a @PUT method to update a user (with a @QueryParam to pass the user ID).

What is the correct way to pass parameters to POST and PUT?

Is @FormParam appropriate for @PUT? Or should I pass a JSON in the body?

Should I pass parameters the same way for both @POST and @PUT or a different way?

Or should I use POST for both?

Edit: This question initially showed an example that did not work for me, but it was because my testing tool was doing it wrong. It works with POSTMAN now.

Solution

  • Yes, with REST, you typically use the following:

    • The method POST of the element list resource to add an element
    • The method PUT of the element resource to completely update an element
    • The method PATCH of the element resource to partially update an element

    Since what you must send corresponds to the state of the resource, you have to provide it within the request body.

    The two bodies (for adding and updating) is similar but there are some differences. For example, if you expect the RESTful service to autogenerate some fields, you don't have to provide corresponding ones.

    Here are sample requests:

    POST /contacts
{
    "lastName": "my last name",
    "firstName": "my first name",
}
(corresponding response status code: 201 - Created)

PUT /contacts/contactid
{
    "lastName": "my last name",
    "firstName": "my first name",
}
(corresponding response status code: 204 - No content)

    You can notice that JSON isn't the only format you can use. XML, YAML, and so on could also be used.

    I think that the following link could give you some hints:

    Hope it helps you, Thierry