Session Storage vs Cookies

Developers should use Session Storage when they need to store temporary, session-specific data such as form inputs, shopping cart items, or user preferences that should not persist beyond the current browsing session meets developers should learn about cookies when building web applications that require user authentication, session management, or personalization features, such as e-commerce sites or social media platforms. Here's our take.

Session Storage

Nice Pick

Developers should use Session Storage when they need to store temporary, session-specific data such as form inputs, shopping cart items, or user preferences that should not persist beyond the current browsing session

Pros

• It is particularly useful for single-page applications (SPAs) to maintain state during navigation without server requests, and for security-sensitive data that should be cleared when the session ends to prevent unauthorized access from other users on shared devices
• Related to: local-storage, cookies

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Cookies

Developers should learn about cookies when building web applications that require user authentication, session management, or personalization features, such as e-commerce sites or social media platforms

Pros

• They are essential for implementing features like 'remember me' functionality, shopping carts, and user-specific settings, though modern alternatives like localStorage and sessionStorage are often preferred for non-sensitive data due to better performance and security considerations
• Related to: http, session-management

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Session Storage if: You want it is particularly useful for single-page applications (spas) to maintain state during navigation without server requests, and for security-sensitive data that should be cleared when the session ends to prevent unauthorized access from other users on shared devices and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Cookies if: You prioritize they are essential for implementing features like 'remember me' functionality, shopping carts, and user-specific settings, though modern alternatives like localstorage and sessionstorage are often preferred for non-sensitive data due to better performance and security considerations over what Session Storage offers.

The Bottom Line

Session Storage wins

Developers should use Session Storage when they need to store temporary, session-specific data such as form inputs, shopping cart items, or user preferences that should not persist beyond the current browsing session