What are cookies and their use in WordPress?
Author : Shira su | Published On : 17 Apr 2024
There's no need for an introduction to WordPress. This content management system CMS is a popular name on the Internet, having been used by nearly half of the world's web pages. There are a lot of cookies on every website, and WordPress is no exception. They're helping to power the website's features and making sure the user experience is as good as it can be. Nevertheless, it might be problematic to use cookies if you don't understand what they are and the proper management of them.
In this article, we will look at what is WordPress cookies and how you can manage them. This will give you proper knowledge about WordPress cookies.
What are WordPress cookies?
Cookies are small files that websites store on users' computers and mobile devices containing information about their visit. It makes it easier for websites to remember things like user names and items that they put in their shopping carts. The cookies help websites to optimize user experience, such as remembering users visit which pages and the settings they've been saving. It's also used to display target advertisements on different websites.
Read more about cookies and how to add cookies to WordPress website.
As with all Content Management Systems, WordPress uses cookies to facilitate its features like authentication and commenting. For example, WordPress is using cookies to determine whether or not you're logged in. You cannot log on to your WordPress site without these cookies, and users can not leave comments.
What's the use of cookies on WordPress?
There are two categories of cookies that WordPress uses: user cookies and commenting cookies.
Users cookie:
This is a cookie that is used for authentication purposes:
WordPress_[hash]: This cookie is used to store the authentication details of the login and it is limited to the admin area.
Wordpress_logged_in_[hash]: This cookie helps the user interface identify you when you are logged in and guess which account and preferences to apply for different functions.
[UID]-wp-settings-{time}: This cookie makes it easier to personalize how you see the admin and main site interfaces. The unique user ID that shows up for each user in a database table is called the UID.
Commenters cookie:
WordPress will store a cookie on your computer when visitors write comments to your blog. It will allow them to submit additional comments without entering their information again.
comment_author_HASH: This cookie remembers a commenter's name.
comment_author_email_HASH: This cookie remembers the email address of the commenter.
comment_author_url_{HASH}: This cookie remembers the website URL of the commenters.
How websites use cookies has been influenced by the General Data Protection Regulation. This also implies that for WordPress sites, when a user leaves a comment on your blog, a checkbox will appear asking the user if they want WordPress to save their information. You can enable this by clicking on the SelectShow comments cookies option in the Settings dialog box.
Third-party cookies:
Other than that, cookies set by installed themes, plugins, or other third-party services such as Google Analytics, YouTube, Facebook, Hotjar, etc. may also be used on your WordPress website. To improve the browsing experience or gather analysis data, these cookies may be able to record user activity.
How do I manage WordPress cookies?
The use of cookies is significantly affected by the EU General Data Protection Regulation since it applies to all websites anywhere in the world that deal with the personal data of individuals living in the European Union; Since WordPress is the most-used content management system (CMS), the impact of cookie laws on WordPress websites is greater than any other platform.
By following the privacy regulations, you will be able to manage your WordPress cookies. To achieve compliance, the following steps shall be taken:
- Check and identify cookies.
- Get permission to track cookies from third parties.
- In the cookie policy, keep details on cookies confidential.
