PATCH Method - Python Requests

Introduction:

In this tutorial, we are learning about the PATCH method - Python requests. The request function library is an important part of Python for making HTTP requests to URLs. This article explains how to use the requests.patch() method to request a PATCH to a URL. Before looking at the PATCH method, let us first understand about the Http PATCH request.

What is the HTTP PATCH Method?

PATCH is an HTTP-powered request protocol used by the World Wide Web. It is used to change the capabilities. A PATCH application only requires changes to the resources, not the entire resources. This is similar to PUT, but the body contains instructions describing how the resource currently on the server should be modified to create a new resource. This means that the PATCH body must be some type of patching language, such as JSON Patch or XML Patch, and not a variant of the source. PATCH is not safe or insufficient.

In the Python Requests library, the request.patch() method is used to send a PATCH request to the server via HTTP. You can also pass additional information as a key point in the PATCH request.

Syntax:

The syntax of the PATCH method in the Python requests library is given below -

Program Code:

Here, we are given a program code of the PATCH method in the Python requests library. The code is given below -

Output:

Now, we compile and run the above code. Then, we find the Python request using the PATCH method. The finding request output is given below -

<Response [200]>
b'{\n  "args": {}, \n  "data": "", \n  "files": {}, \n  "form": {\n    "key": "value"\n  }, \n  "headers": {\n    "Accept": "*/*", \n    "Accept-Encoding": "gzip, deflate", \n    "Content-Length": "9", \n    "Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded", \n    "Host": "httpbin.org", \n    "User-Agent": "python-requests/2.25.1", \n    "X-Amzn-Trace-Id": "Root=1-65c08f16-0f68326e3d661ffc4923f38d"\n  }, \n  "json": null, \n  "origin": "103.77.45.14", \n  "url": "https://httpbin.org/patch"\n}\n'

When do We Need to Use the PATCH Method in Python?

The PATCH method is a request method. This method is supported by the HTTP protocol and is used to modify part of an existing resource. The PATCH method returns a field containing the list of changes to apply to the requested resource using the HTTP URL. The change list is provided as a PATCH file. If there is no request, the server can create resources according to PATCH information and permissions. The changes described in the PATCH file must be well-defined but may include different media types from the patched sources. Frameworks such as XML and JSON can be used to describe changes in the PATCH file.

What are the differences between PUT Method and PATCH Method?

The main difference between the PUT and PATCH methods is that the PUT method uses the request URI to provide changes to the requested data by changing the original version of the resource, while the PATCH method provides instructions to transfer resources. The PUT method is preferred, when the PATCH file is larger than the size of the new version of the resource transferred with the PUT method.

Conclusion:

In this tutorial, we are learning about the PATCH method - Python requests. Here, we use the requests.patch() method to request a PATCH to a URL. A PATCH application only requires changes to the resources, not the entire resources. Here we also give a program code to show using the PATCH method in the Python requests library.