11. PATCH endpoints

About this chapter

In this chapter we'll implement partial updates using the HTTP PATCH verb and JSON Patch standard, allowing clients to:

• Update specific properties without sending the entire resource
• Perform multiple operations (add, remove, replace, copy, move, test) in a single request
• Reduce bandwidth and improve API efficiency
• Follow REST best practices for partial updates

Note: We'll implement a PATCH endpoint only for Commands as it would overkill for the Platforms resource.

Learning outcomes:

• Understanding the difference between PUT and PATCH in REST
• Learning about JSON Patch (RFC 6902) specification
• Implementing PATCH endpoints using ASP.NET Core JsonPatchDocument
• Handling partial updates with proper validation
• Testing PATCH operations with various JSON Patch operations

Architecture Checkpoint

In reference to our solution architecture we'll be making code changes to the highlighted components in this chapter:

• Controllers (adding PATCH endpoints)

Companion Code

• The code for this section can be found here on GitHub
• The complete finished code can be found here on GitHub

Feature branch

Ensure that main is current, then create a feature branch called: chapter_11_patch_endpoint, and check it out:

git branch chapter_11_patch_endpoint
git checkout chapter_11_patch_endpoint

tip

If you can't remember the full workflow, refer back to Chapter 5