[PUT vs PATCH] #REST

put_patch.md

Key:

• Don't use PATCH OR use it the right way
• PATCH is not to replace POST or PUT
• PATCH applies a delta rather than replacing the entire resource
• PATCH is of a different content-type
• PUT's payload is considered to be a modified version of the resource stored on the origin server, so the client is to replace it
• PATCH's payload contains a set of instructions about how to modify the resource on the origin server, so to produce a new version
  • You can use whatever format you want as “description of changes”
  • That’s why using PATCH to send updated values only is not suitable.

// not correct
PATCH /users/123
{ “email”: "new.email@example.org” }


// not correct
PATCH /users/123?email=new.email@example.org

// correct
PATCH /users/123
[ 
  { "op": "replace", "path": "/email", "value": "new.email@example.org" }
]

• RFC 7397: JSON Merge Patch, a "just send what you need" format

• RFC 6902: JSON Patch, JSON Patch defines a JSON document structure for expressing a sequence of operations to apply to a JSON document.

  • application/json-patch+json

• RFC 6901: JSON Pointer defines a string syntax for identifying a specific value within a JSON document.

• RFC 5261: XML patch framework.