Cookies are small pieces of data a website stores in your browser to remember information between visits — like keeping you logged in, remembering items in a shopping cart, or recalling language preferences.
Without cookies, every page you loaded would treat you as a completely new visitor, forcing you to log in again on every single page.
Types of Cookies
- Session cookies — temporary and deleted once you close your browser.
- Persistent cookies — stick around for a set period, even after you close the browser.
- Third-party cookies — set by a different domain than the one you’re visiting, often used for tracking and advertising.
Cookies and Privacy Laws
Because cookies can track behavior, regulations like the EU’s GDPR require many websites to ask for consent before setting non-essential cookies. This is why you often see a cookie consent banner the first time you visit a site.
If you run a WordPress site with visitors in regions covered by these laws, a cookie consent plugin can help you stay compliant without building the notice from scratch.