Next.js › API Routes

How do you handle different HTTP methods such as GET, POST, and DELETE within a single API route file?

Intermediate

Answer

You check the req.method value at the top of your handler function and run different logic depending on whether the request is a GET, POST, or DELETE, returning an appropriate response or an error status for methods you do not support.

export default function handler(req, res) {
  if (req.method === 'POST') {
    return res.status(201).json({ created: true });
  }
  if (req.method === 'GET') {
    return res.status(200).json({ items: [] });
  }
  res.status(405).json({ error: 'Method not allowed' });
}

Real-world example A todo list API route supports GET to fetch tasks and POST to create new ones, all handled cleanly inside one file based on the incoming request method.

Common follow-ups: What status code should you return for unsupported methods?;How do you add authentication checks to an API route?

Route Handlers (API Route.js);Security Best Practices in Next.js