Have you ever wondered what are session cookies?
Session cookies are small pieces of data that are stored temporarily in the browser’s memory.
These cookies remember users’ preferences giving them customized browsing experience to ensure the user’s journey is smooth while browsing.
Now that you have gone through a brief about session cookies, let’s explore the various aspects these cookies bring to the online experience.
What Are Cookies?
The user’s computer stores a tiny text file called a cookie. A cookie’s maximum file size is 4KB. It is sometimes called an internet, web, or HTTP cookie.
When a person visits a website, cookies enable the websites to remember their cart contents or browsing history. The information is saved using the string type.
As cookies store data in plain text format on the client side, they are not secure. They can be enabled or turned on or off based on the situation.
What is a Session?
Data is stored temporarily on the server during a session for use on various web pages. The term refers to the overall duration spent performing a specific task or activity.
The user session begins when a user logs into a specific website and ends when the user logs out or closes the computer.
Session values are far more secure because they are saved in encrypted or binary form, which can only be decoded on the server. The session values are automatically deleted when the user logs out of the program or turns off the computer.
What Are Session Cookies?
Session cookies, also called transient cookies, are temporary in nature and are removed from the user’s browser when a session is closed.
A session is a period of time during which a user interacts with your website.
All the websites use session cookies to keep track of user’s activity on the website. These cookies are also specific to devices and cannot be transferred from one device to another.
Session cookies contain data like shopping cart information, login credentials, or user authentication. It acts as a communication tool between the browser and the server.
Session Cookies Examples
Let’s look at some of the most popular session cookie examples.
- Login credentials or user authentication are the most common examples of session cookies. Whenever visitors access a website, these cookies remember their login information and delete it once they log off. This helps the website recognize users each time they visit and navigate through its pages.
- An eCommerce shopping cart is another example of session cookies. They are created while buying anything online to remember the things in the users’ shopping basket. It will assist the browser in remembering the items and navigating between pages.
- Session cookies remember preference and language. Websites utilize session cookies to store the user’s language selections and location on the browser during their visit.
Purpose of Session Cookies
Session cookies are transient cookies left on your computer by websites when you visit them. These cookies serve a specific function: they assist the website in remembering information about your visit.
A session cookie is placed on a user’s browser to identify them during website visits. This means it is a type of identification that remembers users whenever they visit the website.
Without this identification, the website would not know if the user is the same person browsing from one page to the next. They also contribute to security by keeping users information secure while they are on the site.
These cookies make the online experience more enjoyable by remembering user’s preferences.
What is The Difference Between Cookies And Sessions?
To save user data across various pages on the site, various websites use the Session and the cookies.
Cookies and session data are important because they track user’s information for many purposes.
The primary difference between the two is cookies are saved on the user’s browser, whereas sessions are saved on the server.
Now that you understand the difference between Cookies and Sessions let us move on to the next section to understand the difference between Persistent Cookies and Session Cookies.
Persistent Cookies Vs Session Cookies
In this section, let us compare Persistent Cookies vs Session Cookies. In addition, we will also discuss some of its advantages and disadvantages.
Session Cookies
Session cookies are stored temporarily in the user’s browser’s memory. These cookies stay active while browsing and are erased when the user quits the browser.
It stores data, such as shopping cart items on e-commerce websites and login passwords.
These cookies are considered safer than persistent cookies as they are only stored temporarily and removed when the user ends their browsing session.
Advantages
- They are automatically deleted when the user closes the Session.
- It keeps information secure, as it only lasts till the browsing session.
Disadvantages
- Cannot store information across multiple sessions.
- The information will be lost when the users close the website.
Persistent Cookie
Long-lasting cookies are referred to as persistent since they remain in the browser for a long period or until the user explicitly removes them.
These cookies are used for various purposes, including keeping track of user behavior online, monitoring user activity, and remembering user preferences.
Persistent cookies usually provide actions that require constant data to be provided during the browser session. They remember language preferences, save login credentials, and enable targeted advertising.
Privacy and security issues are brought up because persistent cookies remain on users’ devices longer. Users can monitor and manage their browser’s cookie settings to lessen these worries.
Advantages
- These cookies are used to store information across different browsing sessions.
- They can help to track the user’s behavior on the website.
Disadvantages
- These cookies take up space on the user’s device
- Persistent cookies can save or store sensitive information
At this point, you have learned about session cookies in short, but do you know how Session cookies work? In the next section, we will learn how session cookies work.
How Do Session Cookies Work?
A session cookie is a server-specific cookie that cannot be transferred to any machine except for the one that has generated it. The website creates a session cookie containing the unique ID of the user’s Session when the user visits the website.
A unique ID is a randomly generated number that temporarily stores the session cookie. This cookie is stored on the user’s computer so that it can be used to keep track of the user’s Internet activities. Information such as the user’s input is stored here.
The session cookie contains no other information besides the user’s input. The cookie is updated with information such as visited pages, items added to the shopping cart, and other preferences when the user navigates the website.
Are Session Cookies GDPR Compliant?
Yes, Session Cookies are GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliant because they fall within the category of strictly required cookies, according to GDPR.
According to the GDPR, websites do not need explicit user authorization to set session cookies on user’s devices. Strictly necessary cookies are required for a website’s basic functionality, and their use is frequently exempt from the necessity of user consent.
While notifying users about session cookies is not required, websites should inform users about the usage of session cookies through a cookie policy, privacy policy, or a dedicated cookie consent banner.
How Do I Check If My Website Uses Session Cookies?
Obtaining user consent is one of the most important aspects of collecting or tracking cookies. Regardless, it is equally important to adhere to global privacy standards. However, the question of how to comply with these requirements may arise.
A WordPress plugin comes in handy when you want to check cookies used by your website. You’ll need to install and configure the cookie consent on your WordPress dashboard to enable it.
WP Cookie Consent is a powerful WordPress plugin that helps create a cookie consent banner for your website. They offer various customization options to help you personalize your cookie banners on the website.
This plugin offers several advanced features, among which the cookie scan stands out as it allows you to scan all the cookies on your website. Once the scan is completed, you can see all the cookies that your browser has saved.
FAQ
Browser session cookies last as long as your browser is open.
To find the cookie session in Chrome, navigate to Chrome’s settings. If you’re using Windows, right-click on your browser window; if you’re using Apple Mac right, click and click on source code. To access the Chrome Developer Tools, select Inspect. You can access the Applications tab by clicking on the ‘>>’ icon. Select Cookies from the Storage tab to find session cookies in Chrome.
Session cookies are often used to store user-specific information, such as login credentials or goods, in a shopping cart during a single visit to a website.
Conclusion
We know that session cookies are required to improve the user experience on user’s websites. While they are crucial for keeping user sessions on the browser, they must also comply with privacy standards.
As technology changes, website owners and users must comply with global privacy laws. It is crucial to inform users of any necessary cookies used on the site.
To comply with the norms and regulations, we recommend using the WP Cookie consent plugin, which enables you to create stylish and designer cookie banners for your website and helps you scan cookies.
If you’ve liked reading this article, don’t forget to check our other similar articles:
- What Are Tracking Cookies
- What is a Cookie Consent Manager? – An Ultimate Guide
- Global Privacy Control: Protecting Data with WP Cookie Consent
Grab the WP Cookie Consent plugin to build compliant websites.
