Website Cookies | Uses, Types and Examples

Website cookies manage

Website cookies are not new for any computer user. Everyone who uses computer and internet must know the word cookies. Even a novice user know it, when he/she is prompted a message about use of cookies by a website during internet browsing. Whenever you will browser a website for the first time, if the web uses cookies, It will display a message on the screen as shown in figure below. User respond by accepting cookies message.

Website cookies message example

What are website cookies?

Cookies are small data files which are stored for future use by a website on a user’s computer. Website cookies holds a limited amount of its data. It can be accessed by web server of a website in future and by client in future browsing the same site. Website cookies tailors pages of a website for a particular user. How do cookies work? can be explained by the help of a scenario.

For Example you browse any website about sports like theWeeklySports.com for sports news and updates. On some day you had seen an old day homepage when you opened the website. It happened only due to use of website cookies by client. Your client loaded old data from store website cookies. Most of the website ask to delete cookies in case of such an outdated data.

What type of data is stored in a Cookie?

Cokokie stores data in a table format in the form pairs of (key, data) values – for example (firstname, Habib) (MiddleName, Ullah) and (lastname, Qamar). These small stored data in the form of cookies are then used by the server or client computer. A web page is then loaded and tailored by use of these website cookies.

What are types of cookies?

There are two types of cookies; Persistent cookies and session cookies. For a programmer these terms are not new, Persistent cookies mean that are permanently stored in client computer until these website are delete by users. Session cookies are created and stored temporary basis , when a website is opened and these cookies are deleted when we close the website. These cookies are used for website sessions.

What are uses of internet cookies?

  • Internet Cookies are used to load a web page fastly.
  • these are used to work websites more efficiently.
  • internet cookies are used to collect information about user interactions while browsing for the owners of the website.
  • Cookies are most commonly used to track website activity.
  • cookies are used to acts as user’s identification card.
  • Cookies can be used to personalize web pages.
  • A very handy tool for target marketing.

Are cookies bad?

Whether cookies are bad or not? I think cookies are not bad as these provide just a mechanism to how the Web works. Microsoft, Google, and Firefox are implementing new features by which a user can block, delete or check cookies into their browsers. User can enable cookers checks and security to track their surfing for advertising purposes.

Are cookies important?

Yes. Cookies are very important in today’s ecommerce. For example when we shop on a website regularly like Amazon, Daraz and Alibaba etc. A sections like “Just for You”. These sections show products on the basis of a user choice and browsing history taken from website cookies. an important task and use of website cookies are to keep a user logged in as they browse from page to page. A user’s browsing history becomes part of a database which the website then uses to improve the customer experience. They give websites the ability to remember and improve.

How to check cookies?

  • browser to a website which uses cookies and to which user want to check cookies.
  • Open the WebKit Developer Tools.
  • Click the “Resources” element on the Developer Tools toolbar.
  • Expand the “Cookies” section in the left-hand tree view.
  • Select the domain with the cookies you wish to inspect.

How Secure are Cookies?

Security of cookies is the big concern about privacy on the internet. Cookies are not dangerous to privacy as website cookies only store store information that the user has volunteered and has accepted to share with web server. Whilst it might possible the website could be made available to any third party websites by that one. Some website may sell your data for advertising purpose. As Facebook store cookies and uses the data for its Facebook advertising but ensure users that they do not share it with others.

How to manage cookies in Google Chrome?

What does mean by manage cookies in Google Chrome? It means What can user can Stop, Clear or Delete cookies being installed on my Google Chrome browser?

If you are using Google Chrome to disable cookies:

Go to the Chrome menu icon and click ‘Settings’ or type in address bar
chrome://settings/

Click “Show advanced settings” at the bottom.

how to manage cookies

In the “Privacy” section, click “Content settings” button.

how to open cookies content setting,

In the “Cookies” section, Click “All cookies and site data”. Here you can manage cookies by allow cookies, add cookies, block cookies and delete cookies.

To Delete all cookies, click “Remove all” button.

how to delete/remove cookies in chrome

Resources : http://www.allaboutcookies.org and Google.com

Author: Habibullah Qamar

Its me Habib Ullah Qamar working as a Lecturer (Computer Sciences) in Pakistan. I have an MS(M.Phil) degree in computer sciences with specialization in software engineering from Virtual University of Pakistan Lahore. I have an experience of more than 15 years in the filed of Computer Science as a teacher. Blog Writing is my passion. I have many blogs, This one is special made with the aim of providing 100% Free online coaching and training to the students of under-graduate and postgraduate classes. Most of the students enrolled in computer sciences, information technology, software engineering and related disciplines find it difficult to understand core concepts of programming and office automation. They find difficult in understanding and solving their assignments.