HEAD and OPTIONS methods in Rest API - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the HTTP HEAD method do?

The HEAD method requests the headers that a GET request would get, but without the response body. It's like asking for the metadata only.

beginner

What is the purpose of the HTTP OPTIONS method?

OPTIONS asks the server which HTTP methods are allowed on a specific resource. It helps clients know what actions they can perform.

intermediate

How does the HEAD method help improve efficiency?

HEAD lets clients check resource information like size or modification date without downloading the whole content, saving bandwidth.

intermediate

When might a client use the OPTIONS method in real life?

A client might use OPTIONS before sending a request to check if the server supports methods like POST or DELETE on a resource, avoiding errors.

beginner

True or False: The response to a HEAD request contains a message body.

False. The HEAD response contains headers only, no message body.

What does the HEAD method return in its response?

A Headers and full body

B Only headers, no body

C Only body, no headers

D Nothing at all

HEAD returns only the headers, similar to GET but without the body.

Which HTTP method tells you what methods are allowed on a resource?

A GET

B POST

C OPTIONS

D HEAD

OPTIONS asks the server which HTTP methods are supported on a resource.

Why use HEAD instead of GET when checking a resource?

A To get metadata without downloading content

B To get the full content faster

C To delete the resource

D To update the resource

HEAD lets you get metadata like headers without downloading the full content.

If a server responds to OPTIONS with 'Allow: GET, POST', what does it mean?

A Only GET and POST methods are allowed on the resource

B All methods are allowed

C No methods are allowed

D The server is down

The Allow header lists the HTTP methods the server supports for that resource.

Can the HEAD method be used to check if a resource exists?

A Only if the resource is a file

B No, it cannot check existence

C Only with POST

D Yes, by checking the status code

HEAD returns status codes like GET, so you can check if a resource exists without downloading it.

Explain the difference between the HEAD and OPTIONS HTTP methods and give an example of when to use each.

Think about what information each method asks from the server.

Describe how the HEAD method can help save bandwidth in web applications.

Consider what happens when you only want to know if a file changed.