What is the purpose of cookies in web development?

Cookies play a crucial role in web development by allowing websites to save user preferences and session information. They are small pieces of data stored on the user's browser, enabling the website to remember information about the user over time. This can include login details, items in a shopping cart, language preferences, and customization options for the user experience. By retaining this information, cookies help create a more personalized and user-friendly experience, as the website can retrieve and use this data during future visits.

This functionality is essential for maintaining user sessions, particularly in applications that require user authentication or personalized content. Cookies provide a mechanism through which this data can be exchanged between the client and the server, making them a vital component of modern web applications. They are also widely used for tracking and analytics purposes, helping developers understand user behavior and improving site performance.

In contrast, other options describe purposes that are not representative of cookies' functionality. Cookies do not manage large files or server-side tasks; they primarily operate on the client side. Additionally, while cookies can contribute to session management, they are not designed specifically to enhance security or manage database transactions directly.