What is the HTTP method PURGE?

There is an HTTP PURGE method, though it is not defined in the HTTP RFCs (which do allow for custom methods beyond the standard defined methods). Some HTTP servers and caching systems actually do implement PURGE, for instance Squid and Varnish:

Squid: How can I purge an object from my cache?

Varnish: Purging and banning

And it is possible to send PURGE requests with curl, for example:

Varnish purge using HTTP and REGEX

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