GET, POST, PUT, DELETE: Choosing HTTP Verbs in a Real .NET Core Web API, Not Just by the Textbook

Most explanations of HTTP verbs in ASP.NET Core Web API stop at the dictionary definition: GET reads, POST creates, PUT updates, DELETE removes. That's true, but it doesn't explain why real enterprise APIs often bend these rules — and understanding why matters more in practice than reciting the definitions. This article walks through HTTP verb selection using a real HR/Payroll workflow scenario: submitting, updating, and removing leave requests.

The Textbook Mapping

In a typical Web API controller, the four core verbs map to CRUD operations like this: