What are cookies made of?
Cookies contain a series of characters that are sent to your device when you visit a website. They allow the website to remember actions performed on the site, as well as your preferences, such as font, font size, login information, and language. In other cases, they help ensure that the website’s functionality is maintained or collect analytical information.
How do you distinguish between cookies?
There are several ways to categorize cookies. One way is to divide cookies into two groups:
- First-party cookies
- Third-party cookies
First-party cookies belong to the website that created them. These are typically the cookies that handle user authentication or remember preferences. Third-party cookies usually belong to other companies or websites than the owner of the site. For example, these are the cookies that collect analytical information about different users through tools such as Google Analytics.
Cookies are also categorized as:
- Necessary cookies
- Non-essential cookies
Necessary cookies are cookies that are absolutely required for the website to function at all. They are therefore critical to the operation of the site. Non-essential cookies are cookies that are not required for the website’s functionality. These are typically cookies used in connection with analytics tools, advertising, or social media.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. This file is sent from the server that operates the website to your device, for example to remember your device preferences such as language, font, font size, and login information.
What are cookies used for?
Cookies are used to ensure that a website functions as it should through the use of necessary cookies. They are also used to remember preferences on the device of visitors to the website, in order to make the experience more seamless. Cookies are also used as a way to collect analytical information about users who visit the website, through third-party cookies or non-essential cookies.
