Entry
Is there a limit on the size of GET and POST requests?
What are the differences between GET and POST?
Dec 27th, 2000 02:20
Philip Olson, Nathan Wallace, unknown unknown,
GET : Data sent through variables as part of the URL
index.php?name=sam&id=33
POST : Data Sent as a separate HTTP header. Not seen in URL.
If you use GET, info is logged by the server (apache). For example, if
you submitted password in cleartext, we can see it. POST request data
is not usually logged.
There used to be a limit on the length of GET requests. Now it's
technically "unlimited" by spec, but individual servers are allowed to
impose a limit no lower than the old limit.
Ditto for POST, only POST was a higher old limit.
Still can't rely on the Browser, intermediary servers, and your server
to all transmit anything over the old limit (4K?) for POST.
If you have that much stuff to schlep around, re-design you app to
store it server side, and pass around a token to the user to maintain
session state :
I'm new to Sessions and Cookies, where should I start?
http://www.faqts.com/knowledge_base/view.phtml/aid/6621/fid/594
PHP4 session functions or http://phplib.netuse.de are good, and there
are others, or you could roll your own.
Note that the predefined variables HTTP_GET_VARS and HTTP_POST_VARS are
most likely available, they are useful arrays of post/get information.
A Few Resources (some more related then others) :
METHOD=GET vs. METHOD=POST :
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/get-vs-post.html
PHP Manual : Variables from outside PHP
http://www.php.net/manual/language.variables.external.php
Predefined Variables
http://www.php.net/manual/language.variables.predefined.php
PHP Manual : header()
http://www.php.net/manual/function.header.php
HTTP Tutorial :
http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~lmariusg/download/artikler/HTTP_tut.html
Post vs Get with CGI
http://www.abiglime.com/webmaster/articles/cgi/021098.htm
Post / Get / and Java : (must fix url)
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/servlets/client-
interaction/http-methods.html
