text: what is cookies in .net?   cookie  a small amount of data that is part of a response. it is sent back to the requesting party by the receiver of the request and provides information useful to that transaction which may be required later; for example, an identification number. cookies are often not processed by the requesting machine, but remain there until required by the original receiver or some other party. also called a "magic cookie."  a small data file created by a web server that is stored on your computer either temporarily for that session only or permanently on the hard disk (persistent cookie). cookies provide a way for the web site to identify users and keep track of their preferences.  cookies are beneficial  cookies are commonly used to "maintain the state" of the session as a user browses around on the site (see state). for example, if you filled out a form and decided to leave that for a moment to view another page, when you come back to that form, the data would still be there. without cookies, the site would not know who you were.