Sugar, chocolate and nuts can also be found online. Well, at least what is made from them. If you go to a website, it's like going to a confectionery shop where there are lots of different cookies. These cookies don't crumble a bit! Cookies are small files that contain useful information for loading a website. This includes browser type, IP address, language settings, date and time of the visit and the time spent on individual subpages. Most cookies have a specific lifespan and expire after this period. Data such as "Which buttons were clicked" (surfing behavior) or "Which products are in the shopping cart of an online store" are stored. This allows your customer's site to be adapted to their needs.
Until the introduction of an EU directive on cookies, internet users were not really aware of this type of tracking. Since then, you have to accept the use of cookies on many websites, which can be a hindrance when using websites on a cell phone. With one click, the visitor agrees or rejects the recording of their data for certain purposes.
Caching for faster loading times
The "pastry shop" internet has more to offer than a bag of crummy cookies with chocolate and nuts. They also offer whole cakes. These are the caching files. They are larger and are stored for longer. Files that end up in the cache are needed to load images faster and reduce the loading time. Caching creates copies of website data (e.g. images, videos, fonts, etc.) on the customer's device without crumbling. The cache is kept until it is cleared manually. Caching is also used in operating systems, databases or networks.
Especially on shared devices (in group rooms, schools/universities or Internet cafés), you should delete the cookies and clear the cache after using the browser. Otherwise, the stored data may end up in the hands of other users - so protect your data by carrying out the short deletion process.
Did you know...?
Why are they actually called "cookies"?
The origin comes from the word "magic cookies", which is derived from a fortune cookie, a cookie with an embedded message/information.
What other cookies are there? Let's break it all down
A distinction is made between first-party cookies and third-party cookies, which are intended to make the internet more user-friendly. The first party, i.e. the website owner, can examine user behavior, keep statistics more easily and create user profiles. After all, if your pastry chef knows you, he also knows which cake you prefer. Data is not passed on to parties outside the company. They are used in online marketing, for example, to load personalized advertisements.
However, third-party cookies are also widely used to analyze user behavior. These cookies are used to analyze data over a longer period of time and on different servers. Third-party cookies are primarily used by advertisers. If you visit a website with advertising from the same provider, you will be recognized. The third-party cookies are always managed by a third party, the advertiser, who does not necessarily have to own the website.
Who doesn't love a good cookie?
We took a big bite of the "caching" cake and a handful of "cookies" and conjured up an informative text. We hope you enjoyed the nuts, chocolate and sugar and are closing the cookie jar at this point. Put our support team to the test with tricky questions and until then we hope you enjoy browsing our blog.
