What are cookies?

Whenever one is surfing the internet, one must have noticed that some websites, when they visit them for the first time, send a pop-up prompt to them, to accept something referred to as “Cookies”. Ever wondered what they are? Read on. 

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What is a cookie and what is its purpose?

Well, cookies are small pieces of data that are stored on a user’s device by a web browser. They are essentially used to store information about said user’s preferences and browsing history.   

This information is used to provide a personalised experience to users when visiting a given website. A cookie is created when a user first visits a website, and sent as a file to the user’s browser. This file is stored by the browser and is sent back to the website every time the user visits it again. This is done for the website to recognise the user and the device and then customise their experience based on the information stored in the cookie. 

How many types of cookies are there?

There are several types of cookies. A session cookie is a temporary file that gets deleted when the user closes their browser. Then, there are persistent cookies, which are stored in the user’s device for a longer period of time.   

Cookies are a common feature of the modern web and are used by many websites for providing a personalised user experience. However, beware, as they can be used for malicious activities by unreliable websites to track users’ online activity as well. Thus, it is always advisable to clear these cookies from time to time, or choose to disable cookies in the case of certain websites.