Meet HTTP QUERY
QUERY is a safe, idempotent method that carries a request body — essentially a “GET with a body”. It lets complex query criteria live in the request body instead of a bloated URL, without misusing POST whose semantics don’t fit querying.
Learn · Test · Verify HTTP, incl. the new QUERY
QUERY /productsNEWAccept: application/jsonContent-Type: application/json { "category": "boots", "inStock": true}200 OKContent-Location: /products?…Cache-Control: max-age=60 { "results": 42, "cacheable": true}Same search, four ways
The same product search, four ways:
Swipe horizontally to compare all methods. QUERY is shown first.
| Capability | QUERY | GET · URL | GET · body | POST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Request body | JSON | none | undefined · avoid | JSON |
| Safe (no side effects) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Idempotent | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cacheable response | ✓via Content-Location | ✓ | ~unreliable · undefined | ~no by default · needs explicit |
| Filters kept out of the URL | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Immune to URL length limits | ✓ | ✗~2KB cap | ✓ | ✓ |
| Standardized & supported | ~new RFC · adoption early | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Keep exploring
Methods
Semantics, safety, idempotency and caching of GET / POST / PUT / PATCH / DELETE / HEAD / OPTIONS and the new QUERY method.
Playground
Pick a method, add a body, and fire a real request at a same-origin echo endpoint to see exactly how methods like QUERY are received.
Status Codes
Browse common status codes grouped 1xx–5xx, each with a real HTTP message example.
Headers
Common request and response header fields grouped by function — auth, caching, content negotiation, CORS, security — each with syntax and examples.