Cookies are the small files that are saved on a browser when the user visits a website and represent information that enables the web browser to trust the web server that is providing this website. The information and content on the website can only be rendered when there is a credible relationship between the web server and the web browser which the user is using to access the website.
Cookies only last for a while and whenever one visits the same website on repeat visits, the cookies get upgraded and the older ones replaced with ones that have fresh timestamps on them. This ensures that the information passing between the internet user and the website is secured at all times and the identity of the webserver is assured throughout the internet usage session.
The cookies are used for an internet connection session and the way they are designed makes them easy for the web browser to understand and make use of. A secure connection cannot be established without a cookie getting downloaded to the user’s web browser as the cookie is usually responsible for setting up the connection and maintaining the identities of both the parties that are involved in the communication session.
A web browser will also need to make use of the cookies to establish a history of the user’s internet usage, the websites and web applications they have been visiting, and the information they have been downloading from the websites.
The cookies also ensure that the website is added to the list of safe websites that are trusted by the web browser and this makes life much easier for the users of the websites as they can always return to the websites they have been to before without being asked to log in again or enter their credentials before they can access the services and the information they have been searching for.
The lifetime of cookies is only temporary which means they keep getting modified and with the upgrade of the cookie comes stronger security measures that are determined by many factors such as the time, location, and the browser that the internet user is using.
Cookies are used by web browsers to maintain an information session and transact data from the web browser to the web server or web application without necessarily having to insist on starting a new connection or relationship with the server. The web server will also install a new cookie on the web browser when the user visits the website again and for future connection, the cookie will have changes that reflect the repeat visit to the website.
The importance of having temporary cookies is to prevent hackers and other information criminals from replicating or hijacking cookies to steal the identities of genuine users. Internet usage also relies on cookies to ensure that the identity of the internet user is kept confidential and not exposed or revealed to users that are not part of the internet transaction or the conversation.
