> ELI5: how cookies work 🍪 Cookies are tiny sticky notes your browser saves them so websites remember you 🧒 You visit a website open browser, type URL STEP 1 request 🏠 Server replies & writes a note "Hi! Here's your sticky note: user=alex 🍪" STEP 2 cookie 📒 Browser keeps the sticky note saved on your device 💾 STEP 3 next visit 🧒➡️🏠 Browser shows the note to the server "Hey! Here's my note: user=alex" → "Welcome back! 👋" STEP 4 🍪 What's inside a cookie? It's just a tiny text file with key=value pairs user = "alex" theme = "dark" cart_items = "3" expires = "2025-01-01" Small, readable text — no secrets, no code stored per website 🧠 What do they remember? 🔑 You're logged in 🛒 Items in your cart 🌙 Dark mode preference 🌍 Your language / region like a name tag the website gave you ⏳ Do cookies last forever? Session cookie Deleted when you close your browser. Like a sticky note on a whiteboard. 🗑️ Persistent cookie Stays until expiry date or you clear it. Like a note in a folder with a date. 📁 You can delete all cookies in browser settings eli5.cc

ELI5: how cookies work

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April 27, 2026tech

// explanation

// eli5Imagine you go to a toy store, and the shopkeeper writes down what toys you like on a sticky note and puts it in your pocket. Next time you visit, you give the sticky note back to the shopkeeper so they remember what you like. Cookies work the same way! Websites write down information about you (like what you like to look at) and store it on your computer. When you visit again, your computer sends that information back to the website so it remembers you. [2][4]

// sources

[1]I need more explanation on how cookies work : r/learnprogramming

May 8, 2024 ... Cookies are temporarily - tho sometimes for a very long time - stored by the browser. They are then sent with the requests to a server.

[2]How Cookies Work - Acxiom

A cookie is a small bit of information that a website stores on your computer. When you revisit the website, your browser sends the information back to the ...

[3]What Are Internet Cookies and What Do They Do? - Kaspersky

Cookies are created to identify you when you visit a new website. The web server — which stores the website's data — sends a short stream of identifying ...

[4]Computer Cookies: What They Are and How They Work - HP

May 30, 2024 ... Computer cookies, also known as internet cookies, are small text files that websites store on your computer to remember information about you and your browsing ...

[5]Cookies: How do they work and how to use them?

Oct 30, 2024 ... Cookies are short text files that record data about user preferences. They're stored in the browser on the user's device and sent back to the server every time ...

[6]What Are Cookies? And How They Work | Explained for Beginners!video

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What Are Cookies? And How They Work | Explained for Beginners!
[7]What cookies are and how they work!video

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[8]Web Cookies Explained | How cookies work with HTTP | TechTermsvideo

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Web Cookies Explained | How cookies work with HTTP | TechTerms
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