When you revisit the Web server that gave you the cookie, your browser sends that cookie back to the server. The Web server now recognizes that you have visited before, and can present customized pages to you based on information stored in the cookie.
Cookies are a useful tool for applications, or services, on the Web.
This allows you to continue from where you left off the last time you used a particular Web service. Cookies can also help identify who you are so that you do not have to re-enter basic information such as login name and password each time you visit a Web site. Several UW Web-based applications will use cookies in this way. Cookies often contain your profile or identifying information that can be looked up by the application in the server's database. A profile can contain a variety of information that is useful if you visit a Web server more than once.