DELETE for removing resources in Rest API

Introduction

The DELETE method is used to remove a resource from a server. It tells the server to delete something you no longer need.

When you want to remove a user account from a website.

When you want to delete a post or comment in a blog or forum.

When you want to clear an item from a shopping cart.

When you want to remove a file or image from cloud storage.

When you want to cancel a booking or reservation.

Syntax

Rest API

DELETE /resource/{id} HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com

The URL specifies the resource to delete, often by its ID.

The DELETE method does not usually require a request body.

Examples

This deletes the user with ID 123.

Rest API

DELETE /users/123 HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com

This deletes the blog post with ID 456.

Rest API

DELETE /posts/456 HTTP/1.1
Host: blog.example.com

Sample Program

This Python program sends a DELETE request to remove the post with ID 1 from a test API. It prints the status code and response body.

Rest API

import requests

url = 'https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1'
response = requests.delete(url)

print(f'Status code: {response.status_code}')
print('Response body:', response.text)

Important Notes

Some servers return 200 or 204 status code to confirm deletion.

If the resource does not exist, the server might return 404.

Always be careful when using DELETE because it removes data permanently.

Summary

DELETE is used to remove resources identified by a URL.

It usually does not need a request body.

Check the server response to confirm if deletion was successful.