HTTP cookie

Computing

An HTTP cookie is a small block of data created by a web server and placed on a user's device by a web browser while the user browses a website. Cookies can store stateful information, remember form entries, and support user authentication. They may also track browsing activity. Tracking cookies, particularly third-party cookies, can create long-term browsing records and raise privacy concerns.

Also called: Web cookie, Internet cookie, browser cookie, or cookie
Authentication use: Identifies that a user is logged in and the account used
Privacy concern: Tracking cookies can compile long-term browsing histories

Sources and credits

Article: HTTP cookie (English Wikipedia)
Wikidata: Q178995
Text: Card text is adapted from the English Wikipedia article by an automated summary. Wikipedia content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for its contributors. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Article history and contributors
Illustration: By IETF HTTP Working Group (HTTPbis). Public domain · File page on Wikimedia Commons
IETF HTTP Working Group (HTTPbis), https://httpwg.github.io/assets/http.svg
Modifications: Placed on a plain background, resized and converted to WebP
Popularity: 8,606 median daily views (Wikimedia Pageviews API (all-access, user agent))

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