Internet cookies, also known as HTTP cookies, are small blocks of data created by a web server while a user is browsing a website and placed on the users computer or other device by the users web browser. Cookies are used to identify your computer as you use a network and are created to identify you when you visit a new website. They are passed between the server of a website and the users’ web browsers, and when you visit a site, it will send a cookie from its server to the browser you are using. The browser then stores the cookie on your device in a cookie file.

Cookies serve useful and sometimes essential functions on the web. They enable web servers to store stateful information on the users device or to track the users browsing activity. Cookies can be used to remember your login credentials, keep track of your most recent visit, record your most recent activity, and store information filled in an online form. They can also be used to personalize your web browsing experience and improve website performance.

There are two types of cookies: session cookies and persistent cookies. Session cookies expire when you log off the internet or close your browser, while persistent cookies can save data for an extended period of time. Persistent cookies are the cookies that allow websites to store username and password information for users.

Although cookies are a useful tool to create a smooth internet experience, not all people are comfortable with the way they’re used. Many people raise concerns about privacy due to how cookies track your browsing habits and collect personal data. However, cookies are arbitrary pieces of data, usually chosen and first sent by the web server, and stored on the client computer by the web browser. The browser then sends them back to the server with every request, introducing states (memory of previous events) into otherwise stateless HTTP transactions. Without cookies, each retrieval of a web page or component of a web page would be an isolated event, largely unrelated to all other page views made by the user on the web.

In summary, internet cookies are small blocks of data created by a web server while a user is browsing a website and placed on the users computer or other device by the users web browser. They are used to identify your computer as you use a network, personalize your web browsing experience, and improve website performance. There are two types of cookies: session cookies and persistent cookies. Although cookies raise privacy concerns, they are an essential tool to create a smooth internet experience.