HTTP cookie are the short text fragments stored by the different websites and allowing them to distinguish users. They go Web servers to the browser and are stored on personal computers. The idea of their use arose in 1994 thanks to the developer Lu Montulli.
What is cookies and what they are eaten with
Cookies (English "cookies") are the short text fragments allowing the website to remember information on the visitor, for example, in what language you prefer to browse pages. These fragments are automatically transferred to the browser at primary visit of any given website.
Generally speaking, individual preferences of design and behavior on the websites are based on cookies. However, despite the convenience, they cause concern and criticism among Internet users as it is extremely easy to intercept or replace them. Nevertheless the main danger consists only in potential de-anonymization and gaining access to the user account. Cannot be either a virus, or the spy program of cookies as are only character set.
Cookies files are used by enormous quantity of the websites, including all large online stores, everything them can be classified by different categories: cookies of preferences, safety, processes, advertizing and session state. It makes sense to consider them closer.
Types of cookies
Cookies of preferences (PREF) allow to save necessary information on the settings required by the user and also remember its location. Thus, on the website the selected fonts, parameters, the interface, preferable language, etc. are saved. At loss of these cookies, the website will become less convenient and individualized, but it will not affect quality of work.
Cookies of safety are used for authorization and also for protection of personal information against illegal access. So, cookie SID and HSID contain the encrypted data on the identifier of Google account and the exact time of the last input. It allows to prevent theft of information entered when filling forms on the websites.
Cookies of processes – some of the most important: without them the website will incorrectly work. They provide access to the protected areas on the website and carry out transition from one web page to another.
Cookies of advertizing allow advertisers to personalize advertizing, to do it to more relevant, to prevent demonstration to one user of the same declarations.
Cookies of session states save information on that, how often users visit the websites. They collect data on often visited pages, allow to do bookmarks, save a status of the browsed website if the user left it, but then returned. It does work as more comfortable.