HTTP method routing (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) in Laravel - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - HTTP method routing (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)

Client sends HTTP request

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Laravel receives request

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Check HTTP method: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE

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GET

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Route to GET handler

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Route to POST handler

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Route to PUT handler

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Route to DELETE handler

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Controller method runs

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Response sent back to client

Laravel routes HTTP requests by checking the method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and sending the request to the matching handler.

Execution Sample

Laravel

Route::get('/items', fn() => 'List items');
Route::post('/items', fn() => 'Create item');
Route::put('/items/{id}', fn($id) => "Update item $id");
Route::delete('/items/{id}', fn($id) => "Delete item $id");

Defines routes for GET, POST, PUT, DELETE methods on /items URL with simple responses.

Execution Table

Step	HTTP Method	URL	Route Matched	Handler Output
1	GET	/items	Route::get('/items')	List items
2	POST	/items	Route::post('/items')	Create item
3	PUT	/items/5	Route::put('/items/{id}')	Update item 5
4	DELETE	/items/5	Route::delete('/items/{id}')	Delete item 5
5	PATCH	/items/5	No route matched	404 Not Found

💡 Step 5 stops because PATCH method has no matching route.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	After Step 5
HTTP Method	None	GET	POST	PUT	DELETE	PATCH
URL	None	/items	/items	/items/5	/items/5	/items/5
Route Matched	None	GET /items	POST /items	PUT /items/{id}	DELETE /items/{id}	None
Handler Output	None	List items	Create item	Update item 5	Delete item 5	404 Not Found

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the PATCH request not match any route?

Because no route is defined for the PATCH HTTP method in the execution_table row 5, Laravel returns 404 Not Found.

How does Laravel know which controller method to run?

Laravel matches the HTTP method and URL pattern to the route definition, then runs the handler defined for that route as shown in execution_table rows 1-4.

What happens if the URL matches but the HTTP method does not?

Laravel does not match the route and returns 404 Not Found, as seen in step 5 where URL matches /items/5 but method PATCH is not defined.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what is the handler output at step 3?

A Create item

B Update item 5

C Delete item 5

D List items

💡 Hint

Check the row where HTTP Method is PUT and URL is /items/5.

At which step does the HTTP method become PATCH and no route matches?

A Step 2

B Step 3

C Step 5

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Look for the step with HTTP Method PATCH and Route Matched as None.

If we add Route::patch('/items/{id}', fn($id) => "Patch item $id"), what would be the handler output at step 5?

A 404 Not Found

B Patch item 5

C Delete item 5

D Update item 5

💡 Hint

Adding a PATCH route matching /items/{id} changes the output for PATCH requests.

Concept Snapshot

Laravel HTTP method routing:
- Use Route::get(), Route::post(), Route::put(), Route::delete() for different HTTP methods.
- Laravel matches request method and URL to route.
- Runs the matched route's handler.
- No match returns 404 Not Found.
- Define routes for all methods you want to support.

Full Transcript

In Laravel, HTTP method routing works by matching the incoming request's HTTP method and URL to the defined routes. For example, Route::get('/items') handles GET requests to /items, Route::post('/items') handles POST requests, and so on. When a request comes in, Laravel checks the method: if it is GET, it looks for a GET route matching the URL; if POST, it looks for a POST route, etc. If a matching route is found, Laravel runs the handler function or controller method defined for that route and sends the response back. If no route matches the method and URL, Laravel returns a 404 Not Found error. This way, you can define different behaviors for the same URL depending on the HTTP method, like listing items with GET, creating items with POST, updating with PUT, and deleting with DELETE.