Understanding Cache and Cookies

Understanding Cache and Cookies - Cache is a place to store something on a temporary basis, a mechanism to speed up the transfer of data by storing data that has been accessed in a buffer, with the expectation that if the same data to be accessed, the access will be faster.

In hardware, this term usually refers to high-speed memory that bridges the flow of data between the processor and main memory (RAM), which typically have a much lower speed. The use of cache is intended to minimize the occurrence of bottleneck in the flow of data between the processor and RAM.

While in software, this term refers to a temporary storage area for some frequently accessed files (usually implemented in the network) Derived from the word cash, used to increase the speed of data transfer either temporarily or permanently.

Cookies are data files written to the computer's hard disk by a Web server that is used to identify the user on the site so when the user re-visiting the site, the site will be able to recognize it.

Other uses of cookies, and also the most widely used, is to help the session and login (authentification cookies). Cookies of this type is that stores information to find out if you are logged in or not to the website you've ever visited before.

These cookies have seven components: Name, Value, Expiry, Path, Domain, Needs Secure Connection or not, and whether or not the cookie is accessed in addition via HTTP (eg by Javascript.) Attributes of cookies including the Maximum Age, Secure flag and HttpOnly flag.