What is the main purpose of the PATCH method in REST API?

The PATCH method in REST API is used for partial update of a resource. Unlike PUT, which usually replaces the entire resource, PATCH allows sending only the fields that need to be changed.

For example, if a user object has fields name, email, and phone, and only the email needs to be updated, the PATCH request will contain only the new email value, and other fields will remain unchanged.

This is convenient when updating the entire object is unnecessary or inefficient.