Cookies are text files which have small bits of data –
like usernames and password – that are used to verify your systems when you use
a computer network. When you use a website that uses cookies, a cookie file is
stored to your computer, mobile phone or tablet. Cookies store data like
website name and also the unique address that signifies who is the user. This
stored data will help the website to identify the user in the future visits.
Cookies contain a range of addresses in the form of
URLs. When the HTTP applications request to a site or a page from those stored
URLs, it sends cookies which are related to it. For example, if your username
and password are already stored in a cookie after we allow to access, it saves
you from typing the whole texts again while you access the same service next
time.
What are different types cookies?
·
HTTP cookies
·
Magic cookies
Cookies functions
are generally same but they are applied for different use cases.
HTTP cookies are also known as web cookies or browser cookies.
They are the small bits of data sent from the server to the user browser. It is
important on today's Internet but also the vulnerability of your privacy. As a
necessary part of web browsing, HTTP cookies help web developers to provide you
with the most relevant website visits. Cookies allow websites to remember you,
your website login, shopping carts and more. But they can also be a source of
information that criminals can spy on. Http cookies depends on how an
application or website use cookies. Web browsers store cookies sent from the
server as a strategy to get information about the user.
The “magic
cookies” are an old term that refers the kinds of information which are sent
and received without any variations. Generally magic cookies were used to login
computer database systems. This concept is the base of cookies we use today. It
is a token of data exchanged from a server to a client used to track, authorize
and notify a client in a system about a server's presence. The magic cookie is
different from the standard data packet because it does not have readable data,
only the details of how to access the server.
What are cookies used for?
Generally, website use cookies to streamline the user’s
web experience. Without cookies, you have to login again to the sites or re
build your shopping account or sign in if we accidentally close the page.
Cookies have crucial role in making of best internet experience. Cookies help
websites to verify or identify the user and their preferences and login information.
Advertising is another important way cookie is used to customize your meetings.
You may refer certain areas of a page and cookies store this data to make ads according
to your preference. Websites like shopping sites use cookies to track the
products which are previously viewed, allowing such sites to suggest other
products which users might like and store information about the products in shopping
carts while users continue shopping.
Author:
Harikrishnan H
Keywords
#cookies
#browser cookie
#HTTP cookie
# magic cookies
References
2021. [online]
Available at:
<https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/cookies> [Accessed
13 March 2021].
DigitalOcean.
2021. What are HTTP Cookies? | DigitalOcean. [online] Available at:
<https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/what-are-http-cookies>
[Accessed 13 March 2021].
Marketing Terms.
2021. What is a Cookie? - Definition & Information.
[online] Available at: <https://www.marketingterms.com/dictionary/cookie/>
[Accessed 13 March 2021].
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Very informative blog! Since the data in cookies doesn't change, cookies themselves aren't harmful. They can't infect computers with viruses or other malware. However, some cyberattacks can hijack cookies and enable access to your browsing sessions. The danger lies in their ability to track individuals' browsing histories.
ReplyDeleteVery insightful blog. I think we can disable cookies or delete it if we don't want it. When you delete cookies from your computer, you erase information saved in your browser, including your account passwords, website preferences, and settings. Deleting your cookies can be helpful if you share your computer or device with other people and don’t want them to see your browsing history. However, getting rid of your cookies also comes with consequences.
ReplyDeleteWell written!. The computer cookie is used to keep track of your visits and activities on the internet. This isn't necessarily a negative characteristic. Many online stores, for example, use cookies to track the items in a user's shopping cart as they navigate the web. If you didn't have cookies, every time you clicked a new link on the web, your shopping cart would reset to zero. It'd be difficult to buy something on the internet if that were the case!
ReplyDeleteCookies may also be used by a website to keep track of your most recent visit or to remember your login credentials. Many people find this helpful for storing passwords on frequently visited websites or merely keeping track of what they have previously visited or downloaded.
Cookies keep track of various activities in different ways. Session cookies are only used while a user is actively navigating a website; if the user leaves the site, the session cookie is deleted. Cookies with tracking capabilities can be used to keep track of different visits to the same website over time. Authentication cookies keep track of whether or not a user is logged in, and if so, under what name they are logged in.
-- Thomas Devasia