Persistence
Persistence is a fundamental concept in software development that refers to the ability of data to outlive the process that created it, typically by storing it in a non-volatile medium like a database or file system. It ensures that application state, user data, or system information is preserved across sessions, system restarts, or crashes. This concept is central to building reliable, stateful applications that maintain data integrity over time.
Developers should understand persistence to create applications that retain critical data, such as user profiles, transaction records, or configuration settings, beyond a single runtime instance. It is essential for web applications, enterprise systems, mobile apps, and any software requiring data durability, enabling features like user authentication, e-commerce transactions, and historical data analysis. Without persistence, applications would lose all data upon closure, making them impractical for most real-world use cases.