What is the purpose of the GET HTTP method?

The purpose of the GET HTTP method is fundamentally about retrieving information from a server. It allows clients to request specific data identified by a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). When a GET request is made, it typically asks the server to send back data, such as HTML pages, images, JSON data, etc., without modifying any resources on the server side.

GET requests are characterized by their idempotent nature, meaning that calling the same GET request multiple times will yield the same result without side effects on the server. This behavior is crucial for data retrieval, making it a core operation in APIs and web services, where data is fetched based on the provided URI.

Unlike other methods such as POST, PATCH, or PUT, which are used to manipulate or modify server-side resources, the GET method strictly focuses on data retrieval, aligning perfectly with the described functionality in the provided choice. This is why the choice that highlights the retrieval of information from the server using a URI is the correct one.