The alternative to HTTP GET is HTTP POST, and it may not always be immediately obvious which one to use. HTTP POST is used to post larger chunks of data or more sensitive data to the server. Data sent through POST requests is not visible in the URL, and although this does not make it inherently more secure (it does not by default provide encryption or validation), it does offer some security advantages. URLs are often cached by the browser and suggested through autocomplete features next time the user types in a similar URL.

Data sent through GET requests may, therefore, be retained. Using POST also prevents someone from seeing the data by looking over the user's shoulder (shoulder surfing). Passwords especially are often obscured on input by using HTML password fields, making them appear as asterisks (********) or dots (••••••••) in the browser. The data would still be clearly visible in the URL if sent using GET however, and so POST should always be used...