The DELETE method in a REST API is used to delete a resource on the server. It is typically used when a client wants to remove a resource from the server.
The DELETE method is idempotent, meaning that making multiple identical requests will have the same effect as making a single request.
A typical DELETE request will include the following:
- The HTTP verb “DELETE”
- The endpoint or resource location, such as “/products/{product_id}”
- The headers, which may include additional information such as the authentication information
- The request body is empty as it is not needed for a DELETE request
A typical DELETE response will include the following:
- The HTTP status code, such as 204 No Content if the request was successful or 400 Bad Request if the request was malformed or invalid.
- The headers, which may include additional information such as the content type or caching directives.
- The response body is empty as it is not needed for a DELETE request. It’s worth noting that the DELETE method is typically used to delete resources from the server and the response usually does not have a response body.
Also, it’s important to note that the DELETE method is idempotent, which means that making multiple identical requests will have the same effect as making a single request, and it will delete the resource only once.
Additionally, it’s considered a best practice to return a 204 status code when a DELETE request is successful, it will indicate that the request was successful and the server has completed it, but it doesn’t return any response body.