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PHP

Leandro Severino
Leandro Severino
12,674 Points

WHy the need to check the request method: if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == "POST")?

WHy the need to check the request method:

if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == "POST") { //do something }

if you define the method yourself via "method='post'"

Is there some other reason or its just good practice to check every time?

Simon Coates
Simon Coates
28,694 Points

In the scenarios they show that code, the code usually handles both a get/post (ie. the 'sticky form' pattern). You typically only want to do something (affect a permanent change) if using a post request. So in these cases, testing the method takes you down one or two distinct cases. However, I think it is best practice as well to police which method is in use, either for security reasons or just for increased predictability. It is possible for people to modify your forms or write code that bypasses your UI completely. Accessing a script using the wrong method might be an indication that someone is up to something - this may be a fairly weak protection. (see https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/8225/should-i-prevent-sending-of-get-requests-for-urls-that-are-normally-operated-wit )