# What is an HTTP method, and what is the difference between GET and POST? > An HTTP method says what kind of web request is being made. GET vs POST in plain terms, why forms use POST, and how it matters for an n8n webhook. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/http-method · Updated 2026-10-01 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Web apps](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary#topic-web-apps) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) Updated October 1, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) An HTTP method is the verb at the start of every web request that says what kind of request it is. GET asks for something, like loading a page. POST sends something, like submitting a form. A form sending data to an automation almost always uses POST. ## Why it matters for a small business You rarely have to think about methods until two systems disagree about one. A webhook can be set to listen for one method, and a form can send another. When that happens, the form's request is turned away even though the address is right, and the error is easy to misread as a broken URL. Knowing the two common methods lets you spot the mismatch in seconds. There is also a privacy reason forms use POST. A GET request carries its data in the web address itself, which can end up in browser history and server logs. A POST request carries it in the [request body](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/request-body), out of the address. For anything a customer types, POST is the right choice. ## In a real lesson: Build an AI Demo Request Form That Qualifies Leads In the [AI Demo Request Form lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-demo-request-form-lead-qualification), you build a "Book a Demo" form for Northwind Scheduling Software, a made-up software company. The prompt you give Lovable includes a WEBHOOK section: "When the form is submitted, send the data as a POST request to the n8n webhook URL", sent as JSON with the keys name, email, need and teamSize. On the n8n side, the **On webhook call** trigger receives that POST. You set its **Respond** option to **Using 'Respond to Webhook' Node**, so the form waits while the agent rates the lead Hot, Warm or Nurture, saves it to the **Leads** sheet and emails a next step. The lesson doesn't change the webhook's method setting, but when you build it for real, open the Webhook node and check that its HTTP Method matches what the form sends. If the node is listening for GET and the form sends POST, n8n replies that the webhook isn't registered for that method. [Try this lesson free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/lovable-n8n-sales) or [read the step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-demo-request-form-lead-qualification). ## Common confusions ### HTTP method vs status code The method is part of the request (what the sender wants). An [HTTP status code](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/http-status-code) is part of the response (how it went), like 200 for success or 404 for not found. ### POST vs PUT and others APIs also use PUT, PATCH and DELETE for updating and removing records. For forms and webhooks, GET and POST are the two you'll meet. ## Tips - State the method in your app-builder prompt, as the lesson does. - When a webhook "doesn't work", check the method before you check anything else. - Never send personal details in a GET request's address. ## Related terms [Webhook](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/webhook) · [Request body (payload)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/request-body) · [API](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/api) · [HTTP status code](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/http-status-code) · [HTTP Request node](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/http-request-node) · [Web form](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/web-form) ## Where you use it: free lessons - [Build an AI Demo Request Form That Qualifies Leads](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-demo-request-form-lead-qualification) (Lovable and n8n, 15 min) - [Lovable + n8n: Build a Web App with an AI Backend](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/lovable-n8n-web-app-ai-backend) (Lovable and n8n, 15 min) - [Build an AI Maintenance and IT Request Form](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-maintenance-it-request-form-lovable-n8n) (Lovable and n8n, 15 min) ## Frequently asked questions **Should a contact form use GET or POST?** POST. It sends the data in the body instead of the web address, which keeps it out of browser history and server logs, and it is what webhooks expect for submissions. **Why does my n8n webhook say it isn't registered for POST?** The Webhook node's HTTP Method is set to something else, often GET. Change it to POST, save, and publish the workflow again if you're using the production URL. [All AI glossary terms, A to Z](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) · [Free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts)