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I see references to cookies while surfing the Internet. What are cookies and what do they do?

April 26, 2017cookies internet references surfing

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I see references to cookies while surfing the Internet. What are cookies and what do they do?

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A cookie is simply an HTTP header that consists of a text-only string that gets entered into the memory of a browser. This string contains the domain, path, lifetime, and value of a variable that a website sets. If the lifetime of this variable is longer than the time the user spends at that site, then this string is saved to file for future reference. Cookies are used to both store and retrieve information. Some advantages to using cookies are web pages can be customized based on client preferences or access history. Passwords and temporary information can be saved/stored on the client computer so that the information does not have to be re-entered. Some disadvantages are that some browsers do not support using cookies. Also, cookies do use up disk space and there are concerns over potential privacy issues.