What Are Cookies and Other Ways Websites Store Information?

How websites remember who you are

When you visit a website, you leave little digital footprints behind.

Sometimes websites need to remember who you are to make things work properly, like keeping you logged in or remembering what is in your shopping cart. Other times, they store information for marketing, tracking, or analytics.

Let's break down the main ways websites store information on your device.

🍪 Cookies

Cookies are small text files saved on your device by a website.

They can store things like:

• Your login status
• Language preferences
• Shopping cart contents
• Tracking data for advertising

Important: Under GDPR and ePrivacy rules, websites must ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies, such as marketing or tracking cookies.

📦 Local Storage

Local Storage is similar to cookies, but allows websites to store more data directly in your browser without sending it back to the server every time. This makes websites faster and more dynamic.

Typical use cases:

• Saving form information so it does not disappear if the page reloads
• Remembering user settings or themes
• Caching parts of a website for faster loading

Privacy note: Because local storage is not automatically sent with every request, it can sometimes fly under the radar. It still stores personal data.

⏳ Session Storage

Session Storage works like Local Storage but is temporary.

It only keeps information while your browser tab is open. As soon as you close the tab, session storage clears itself.

Used for:

• Temporary shopping carts
• Session-based login info for single-page apps
• Wizard or multi-step forms that need to remember your progress

Session storage reduces long-term privacy risks, but while active, it still holds data.

🧠 Other tracking techniques

Even without cookies or storage, websites can track you using methods like:

• Fingerprinting: Collecting information about your device, browser, fonts, screen size, and other details to create a unique "fingerprint."

• ETags and cache tracking: Using server-side caching headers to recognize returning visitors.

• IndexedDB: A more advanced storage system in the browser, mainly used for web apps but capable of holding a lot of data.

These methods are harder for users to control or detect, which is why transparency and consent are so important under GDPR and ePrivacy rules.

📋 Why it matters

Understanding these storage methods is essential for:

• Protecting your own privacy online
• Building GDPR-compliant websites
• Respecting users' rights and choices

At ToolHive, we help companies not only track what tools and vendors they use but also understand how those tools might interact with user data, including cookies and other storage techniques.

Good data awareness starts with knowing what happens behind the scenes.

Want to stay in control of your company’s data and privacy practices? Start using ToolHive today and take the first step toward better compliance.