Updating Resources by ID

Now that we know how to find books by their unique identifier, imagine the scenario where one of our books needs an update. Perhaps the author released a new edition, or there’s a change in its publication details. In this section, we’ll explore the process of updating the information for a specific book using its unique identifier.

The PUT or PATCH method

To make an update operation for a resource, such as a book, we often face a decision between two HTTP verbs: PUT or PATCH. Let’s provide a brief explanation of these verbs in the context of our use case:

• The PUT method replaces a resource complete with a new version. When using PUT, we send the entire resource representation in the request, effectively replacing the existing resource with the provided data.

• The PATCH method is designed for making partial updates to an existing resource. It allows us to modify specific fields or properties of the resource without requiring the entire representation to be sent. With the PATCH we can focus on updating only the necessary attributes of the book while leaving the remaining fields unchanged.

Considering our goal of updating book information without replacing the entire resource, the PATCH method aligns more closely with our use case. It enables us to make targeted modifications to specific properties of the book.

Updating BooksController

With this understanding of the difference between PUT and PATCH, let’s see how to implement PATCH in our virtual library application for book updates by following these steps:

1. Import the Patch decorator to specify the HTTP verb for the update route: