DELETE for removing resources in Rest API - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to send a DELETE request to remove a user by ID.

Rest API

response = requests.[1]('https://api.example.com/users/123')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Apost

Bget

Cdelete

Dput

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using GET instead of DELETE will only retrieve data, not remove it.

Using POST or PUT will not delete the resource.

The DELETE method is used to remove a resource from the server.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to check if the DELETE request was successful by verifying the status code.

Rest API

if response.status_code == [1]:
    print('Deleted successfully')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A204

B404

C200

D500

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Checking for 200 instead of 204 might work but 204 is more common for DELETE success.

Checking for 404 or 500 means error states, not success.

Status code 204 means the server successfully processed the request and is not returning any content.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to correctly send a DELETE request with headers.

Rest API

headers = {'Authorization': 'Bearer token123'}
response = requests.[1]('https://api.example.com/items/45', headers=headers)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aput

Bpost

Cget

Ddelete

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using POST or GET instead of DELETE will not remove the resource.

Forgetting to include headers when authorization is needed.

To delete a resource with headers, use the DELETE method with the headers parameter.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a function that deletes a resource by ID and returns True if successful.

Rest API

def delete_resource(resource_id):
    response = requests.[1](f'https://api.example.com/resources/{resource_id}')
    return response.status_code [2] 204

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Adelete

B==

C!=

Dget

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using GET instead of DELETE.

Checking status code with != instead of ==.

The function sends a DELETE request and checks if the status code equals 204 to confirm success.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to delete a user with authorization and handle errors properly.

Rest API

def delete_user(user_id, token):
    headers = {'Authorization': f'Bearer [1]'}
    response = requests.[2](f'https://api.example.com/users/{user_id}', headers=headers)
    if response.status_code == [3]:
        return True
    else:
        return False

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Atoken

Bdelete

C204

Dget

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using GET instead of DELETE.

Not passing the token correctly in headers.

Checking for wrong status code.

The function uses the token for authorization, sends a DELETE request, and checks for status code 204 to confirm deletion.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the HTTP DELETE method in REST APIs?

easy

A. To remove a resource identified by a URL

B. To create a new resource on the server

C. To update an existing resource

D. To retrieve data from the server

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand HTTP methods

   HTTP methods define actions on resources. DELETE is specifically for removal.

2. Step 2: Identify DELETE's role

   DELETE removes the resource at the given URL, unlike POST (create), PUT/PATCH (update), or GET (retrieve).

3. Final Answer:

   To remove a resource identified by a URL -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   DELETE = remove resource [OK]

Hint: DELETE always removes resource at the URL, no body needed [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing DELETE with GET or POST
• Thinking DELETE requires a request body
• Assuming DELETE creates or updates data

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to send a DELETE request to remove a user with ID 123 using curl?

easy

A. curl -X GET https://api.example.com/users/123

B. curl -X PUT https://api.example.com/users/123

C. curl -X POST https://api.example.com/users/123

D. curl -X DELETE https://api.example.com/users/123

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify HTTP method for deletion

   DELETE method is used to remove resources, so -X DELETE is correct.

2. Step 2: Check URL and method usage

   The URL targets user 123, and curl uses -X to specify method. So, curl -X DELETE URL is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   curl -X DELETE https://api.example.com/users/123 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   curl DELETE syntax = curl -X DELETE URL [OK]

Hint: Use curl -X DELETE followed by resource URL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using GET or POST instead of DELETE
• Omitting the -X flag for method
• Using PUT which is for updates

3. Given this Python code using requests library:

import requests
response = requests.delete('https://api.example.com/items/45')
print(response.status_code)

What will be printed if the item was successfully deleted?

medium

A. 201

B. 404

C. 200

D. 500

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand HTTP status codes for DELETE

   Successful DELETE usually returns 200 (OK) or 204 (No Content). 200 means success with response body.

2. Step 2: Check options for success code

   Among options, 200 indicates success. 404 means not found, 500 server error, 201 created (not for DELETE).

3. Final Answer:

   200 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   DELETE success = 200 OK [OK]

Hint: Successful DELETE usually returns 200 or 204 status code [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing 201 (created) with success for DELETE
• Assuming 404 means success
• Ignoring status code meanings

4. Consider this JavaScript fetch code to delete a post:

fetch('https://api.example.com/posts/10', {
  method: 'DELETE',
  body: JSON.stringify({ id: 10 })
})
.then(res => res.status)
.then(console.log)

What is the main issue with this code?

medium

A. The URL is incorrect

B. DELETE requests should not have a body

C. The method should be GET

D. Missing headers for JSON content

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand DELETE request body rules

   DELETE usually does not require a request body; many servers ignore or reject it.

2. Step 2: Identify the problem in code

   The code sends a JSON body with DELETE, which is often unnecessary and may cause errors.

3. Final Answer:

   DELETE requests should not have a body -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   DELETE usually no body [OK]

Hint: Avoid sending body with DELETE requests [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding unnecessary body to DELETE
• Confusing method with GET or POST
• Forgetting to check server docs for DELETE body support

5. You want to delete multiple resources in one request using REST API. Which approach is best practice?

hard

A. Send multiple DELETE requests, one per resource URL

B. Send a single DELETE request with a JSON array body listing IDs

C. Use POST method with action=delete and list of IDs in body

D. Use GET method with query parameters to delete resources

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand REST principles for DELETE

   DELETE targets a single resource URL. Bulk delete is not standardized and often unsupported.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for bulk deletion

   Sending multiple DELETE requests (one per resource) is standard and reliable. Other methods misuse HTTP verbs or semantics.

3. Final Answer:

   Send multiple DELETE requests, one per resource URL -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   One DELETE per resource URL [OK]

Hint: Delete resources one by one with separate DELETE requests [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to send bulk delete in one DELETE with body
• Using POST or GET to delete resources
• Assuming server supports bulk delete by default