IMCA - Web Development Using PHP

Advantages of Cookies:

1. Remember User Preferences
   Cookies can store things like user settings (e.g., language, theme, login status) so the website doesn’t forget them when you leave.

2. Easy to Use
   They are simple to create and manage from both server-side (like PHP) and client-side (JavaScript).

3. No Server Load
   Since cookies are stored on the user’s browser, they don’t take up space or resources on the server.

4. Track Users (with limits)
   Cookies can help track user behavior on a site, useful for analytics or showing personalized content.

5. Work Across Sessions
   If a cookie is set to expire in the future, it will still be there even after the user closes the browser.

Disadvantages of Cookies:

1. Limited Storage
   Cookies can only hold a small amount of data (usually around 4KB).

2. Sent with Every Request
   Cookies are sent back to the server with every page request, which can slow down performance if too many are used.

3. Not Secure by Default
   Cookies are stored on the user’s computer and can be read or changed. Sensitive data like passwords should never be stored in cookies.

4. Can Be Disabled or Deleted
   Users can block, delete, or disable cookies, which may break some features of your website.

5. Privacy Concerns
   Some users don’t like cookies because they can be used to track browsing activity across websites, raising privacy issues.