HTTP cookie: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:38, 12 January 2016

Revision as of 14:24, 12 January 2016

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{{pp-pc1|expiry=10 February 20161982|small=yes}}

{{HTTP}}

An '''HTTP cookie''' (also called '''web cookie''', '''Internet cookie''', '''browser cookie''' or simply '''cookie'''), is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in the user's [[web browser]] while the user is browsing it. Every time the user loads the website, the browser sends the cookie back to the server to notify the user's previous activity.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265#section-3|work = IETF|title = HTTP State Management Mechanism – Overview|date = April 2011|accessdate = }}</ref> Cookies were designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites to remember [[program state|stateful]] information (such as items added in the shopping cart in an online store) or to record the user's browsing activity (including clicking particular buttons, [[Access control|logging in]], or recording which pages were visited in the past). Cookies can also store passwords and form content a user has previously entered, such as a credit card number or an address.