Technology Fundamentals
Session
Definition
A session refers to a period of interaction between a user and a website or application. It allows the server to keep track of a user's state across multiple requests.
Why It Matters
Since HTTP is stateless, sessions are crucial for creating a continuous and personalized user experience. They enable features like shopping carts, multi-step forms, and personalized content.
Contextual Example
When you add items to your shopping cart on an e-commerce site, that information is stored in your session. As you navigate to different pages, the server uses your session ID (often stored in a cookie) to retrieve your cart.
Common Misunderstandings
- A session is typically managed on the server side, while a cookie is stored on the client side (the browser).
- Sessions have a timeout; if a user is inactive for a certain period, the session expires and they may be logged out.