What Are Session Cookies? – A Comprehensive Guide For 2025

Have you ever wondered what session cookies are and how websites remember users’ preferences?

Session cookies are the ones behind remembering user preferences. They are small pieces of data that are stored temporarily in the browser’s memory while browsing the session.

All the websites use cookies to ensure users’ journeys are smooth while browsing the website, and it is when the session cookies come in.

These cookies play a significant role in providing an easy and smooth online experience, making the internet journey of the users customized.

So, in this article, we will talk about what session cookies are and how they can impact privacy regulations worldwide.

What Are Session Cookies?

Session cookies are also known as transient or temporary cookies. These cookies are specific to devices and cannot be transferred from one device to another. They are available only during the active session and are deleted when the browser closes at the end.

They are small pieces of data stored on any device during a browsing session. It temporarily stores information such as users’ inputs and tracks the users’ moments within the websites.

Most websites have session cookies enabled by default because they help to load the webpage faster and help users navigate quickly. The end users can adjust these cookies by adjusting the browser settings. But this will always result in a poor experience.

Persistent Cookies Vs Session Cookies

Websites use two types of cookies to store information on the user’s browser: Session cookies and Persistent cookies. Both cookies serve different purposes and have different characteristics. This comparison lets us determine which cookies are responsible for user privacy.

Persistent Cookies

Persistent cookies are known as long-lasting cookies, as they last on the browser for a very long time or until they are deleted manually by the users from their browser. These cookies are used for many reasons, such as monitoring user activity, tracking users’ online behavior, and remembering users’ preferences.

Typically, these cookies support activities requiring consistent information throughout the browsing session. They facilitate personalized advertising, store login credentials, and remember language preferences.

Persistent cookies stay longer on users’ devices, raising privacy and security concerns. Users can monitor and control browser cookie settings to reduce these concerns.

Session Cookies

The user’s browser temporarily stores these cookies in its memory. These cookies remain active until the user is browsing and are deleted when the user closes the browser.

It is used to remember login credentials, a shopping cart product on any E-commerce website, and any form of data.

These cookies are stored temporarily and are deleted once the users end the browsing session. Hence, they are considered more secure than persistent cookies.

How Do Session Cookies Work?

When users visit a website, the internal browser sends a request to the website server to access the site. The server receives the request and generates a unique session identifier for each visit from the user. The session identifier is nothing but a random character string. When the identifier is created, it is sent back to the user’s device. 

When the request is returned to the user, the page loads on the user’s browser. It helps the browser recognize the users, which helps to link the user’s request to the correct session.

As the special identifier is linked to the server, it stores data such as user preference, shopping cart details, login credentials, and other required data across different browsers.

The server updates the session data whenever the user interacts with the websites. When the user closes the browser, these cookies are expired. These cookies work as a mediator between the users and the server, allowing the websites to offer personalized content during a user’s visit to the website.

Purpose Of Session Cookies

Session cookies are transient cookies left on the computer by websites when users visit them. These cookies serve a specific purpose: they assist the website in remembering details about users visit. 

When users visit a website, a session cookie is established to keep track of their visit. It’s like an identifier indicating, “Hey, this is the same person moving around the website.”

This identifier is important because, without it, the website would not know if you were the same person browsing from one page to another. They also help with security by ensuring your information is secure while you are on the site. 

These cookies are the helpers who make your online experience smooth by remembering your preferences. 

Session Cookies Examples

Let’s take a look at some of the most common examples of session cookies.

• Login Credentials or User Authentication: Session cookies are created when users visit a website and use credentials to log into the website. These cookies will help the user to stay logged in on the website for that session and once he/she closes the browser, it gets automatically deleted.
• Ecommerce Shopping Cart: While shopping online, session cookies are created to remember the items added to the users’ shopping cart. It will help the browser to remember the items and browse across different pages.
• Preferences and Language: These are used by websites to remember language preferences and location on the browser during the user’s visit.

Are Session Cookies GDPR Compliant?

Session cookies are classified as strictly required cookies under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is applicable in the European Union. These cookies can be categorized as necessary cookies and are exempted from the GDPR consent requirement. 

Cookies that are strictly necessary on the website are required to help the users navigate and use the basic functionalities. Users couldn’t use essential functions like adding products to a shopping cart without session cookies. 

As these cookies do not collect any personal information from the users, they are exempted from GDPR.

How Do I Check If My Website Uses Session Cookies?

In today’s online world, getting user consent is one of the most essential things while collecting or tracking cookies. But it’s also important to comply with the privacy regulations worldwide. But the question may arise, how to comply with these regulations. 

WP Cookie Consent is a powerful Wordpress plugin that helps to build a cookie consent banner for your websites. They provide many customization options to help you modify your cookie banners on the website.

This plugin provides many advanced features such as Geo-targeting, script blocker, data request, white label, and, most importantly, cookie scanning features. All websites use cookies to enhance the browsing experience of the users. 

To check if your website uses session cookies, the simplest way is to scan your website with the help of the cookie scan feature from the WP Cookie Consent plugin. You can check the documentation on Cookie Scanning to know how to scan your website.

FAQ

Conclusion

At this point, we are clear that session cookies are essential to enhance the website user experience. While these are important in maintaining user sessions on the browser, it is also essential to comply with privacy regulations.

As technology is changing, it becomes essential for website owners and users to comply with privacy laws worldwide. Whether it is necessary cookies or any other cookies on the website, it is important to tell users that the websites they browse use cookies.

To comply with the rules and regulations, we recommend using the WP Cookie consent plugin to help build attractive and designer cookie banners for your website.

If you’ve liked reading this article, don’t forget to check our other similar articles:

• Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Third-Party Cookies
• How WP Cookie Consent Helps Your WordPress Site Adhere to CCPA Regulations
• A Step-by-Step Guide to Create A Cookie Consent Banner Design
• How WP Cookie Consent Helps Your WordPress Site Adhere to CCPA Regulations

Grab the WP Cookie Consent plugin to build compliant websites.