the.com/localstorage
the browser's junk drawer that remembers your stuff long after you've forgotten why.
means a way for websites to store small pieces of text data in your browser that persists even after you close the tab.
from introduced as part of the html5 spec in the mid-2000s, born from developers' frustration with cookies, which were small, clunky, and got sent to the server with every single request whether you needed them there or not.
size limitabout 5-10mb per site, depending on browser
no expirydata sticks around until explicitly cleared
strings onlyeverything stored gets converted to text
not sent to serverunlike cookies, it never leaves the browser
for instance
dark mode toggle — countless sites remember your theme choice this way
shopping cart drafts — e-commerce sites stash unfinished carts before checkout
form autosave — google docs and others cache drafts locally to survive crashes