I am implementing a RESTful web service and one of the available actions will be reload. It will be used to reload configurations, cache, etc.
We started with a simple GET to an URI like this: ${path}/cache/reload (no parameters are passed, only the URI is called). I am aware that data should not be modified with a GET request.
Which is the correct verb to use to invoke an action/command in a RESTful web service?
The reload is a command of the REST web service that reload its own cache/configuration/etc. It is not a method that returns information to the client.
Probably what I am trying to do isn't REST, but it is still something that need to be done this way. The reload method was only a real example that makes sense in the scope of the application and most answers focused on it, but in fact, I just needed to know which verb to trigger an action that doesn't do CRUD, but still changes data/state.
I found this detailed asnwer on Stack Overflow abot the subject: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16877968/
Best Answer
I don't think there is a proper verb for this action because this transaction isn't really "RESTful." The "s" and "t" stand for "state transfer" and nothing is being transferred here. Or, put another way, by the strictest definition, the verbs like PUT and POST are always used with a noun and "reload" just has the verb.
This reload may not be RESTful, but it may still be useful and you'll just have pick a way to do it and live with or explain that it's unusual. GET is probably the simplest. There's a fair amount of skepticism in the comments, though, so you should think about whether or not this reload action is required because something else isn't quite doing what it should be doing.