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In RESTful architecture and web communications, HTTP verbs inform the destination web server of the intended action. The two most fundamental verbs are GET (retrieving data) and POST (submitting or creating data). The requests library simplifies configuring parameters, headers, and payloads for both.
A GET request is idempotent and safe: it retrieves data from the server without modifying server-side state.
paramsInstead of manually concatenating query strings (e.g., https://api.example.com/search?query=python&page=2), pass a Python dictionary to the params argument. The requests library automatically escapes special characters and builds the query string:
Notice how spaces became + and the ampersand & became %26 through automatic URL encoding!
A POST request transmits a payload in the HTTP request body to create or mutate server resources (e.g., submitting a registration form, charging an account, or creating a new blog post).
json=...)Most modern REST APIs expect payloads formatted as JSON. Passing a dictionary to the json parameter automatically:
json.dumps().Content-Type: application/json HTTP header.data=...)When submitting HTML forms or traditional URL-encoded payloads, pass the dictionary to the data parameter:
Custom headers allow you to define authentication tokens, API keys, custom user agents, or content negotiation preferences:
| Dimension | GET Method | POST Method |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Retrieve existing resources | Create or process resources |
| Payload Location | URL query parameters (?key=val) | HTTP Request Body |
| Idempotent? | Yes (repeating produces same state) | No (repeating may create duplicate records) |
| Data Length | Limited by browser/server URL limits (~2048 chars) | Virtually unlimited |
| Caching & History | Cached by browsers, logged in server access logs | Never cached by default |
| Security | Sensitive data visible in URLs (browser history, logs) | Encrypted within TLS/HTTPS body payload |
Never concatenate query parameters manually into the URL string. Use the params={} dictionary argument in requests.get() so special characters and spaces are URL-encoded automatically.
data= and json= in POSTdata=payload: Sends form-encoded data (application/x-www-form-urlencoded).json=payload: Serializes the dict to JSON and automatically sets Content-Type: application/json.Send a POST request containing a new user registration dictionary to https://httpbin.org/post using the json= argument, and verify that the remote server echoed back the JSON body.
requests.get() to include URL query parameters cleanly?requests.post(url, json=payload) do automatically?data= vs json= in requests.post()?requests?In the next lesson, we will continue your intermediate Python journey with Parsing JSON Data (8: Working with APIs).
Continue learning with hands-on practice, examples, and exercises in the upcoming topic.
| Previous Lesson | Next Lesson |
|---|---|
| HTTP Requests using requests | Parsing JSON Data |
Test your understanding of this lesson with 5 questions. Each question has one correct answer.