Essential cookies
What does essential cookies mean?
Essential cookies (also called “strictly necessary” cookies) are small data files required for a website’s core functions. Typical uses include keeping users authenticated as they move between pages, remembering items in a shopping cart, maintaining secure connections, and balancing traffic across servers. Without these cookies, basic features the user asked for would not function reliably.
How do essential cookies work?
Essential cookies are created by the website or its service providers to support a specific, user-requested function. They:
- Authenticate sessions so accounts stay signed in during navigation.
- Maintain cart contents and checkout continuity on e-commerce sites.
- Provide security controls (e.g., fraud prevention, CSRF protection).
- Distribute load across servers to keep pages responsive.
- Store necessary preferences such as language or accessibility settings when required to deliver the service.
Because they are strictly necessary, many regulations allow them without prior consent; however, they still need to be described in your cookie notice.
Why are they important?
Accurate classification protects users and reduces regulatory risk. Labeling non-essential technologies as “essential” can invite complaints and penalties.
FAQs about essential cookies
Generally no. Under the GDPR and ePrivacy rules, strictly necessary cookies can be set without prior consent. You should still inform users about them in your policy.
No. Analytics improve insights but are not required to provide the requested service, so they are typically non-essential and require consent.
No. Essential cookies are limited to technical functions needed to deliver the requested service. Marketing or profiling purposes fall outside this category.
Ask: Could the specific service the user requested function without this cookie? If yes, the cookie is not essential.
Session/authentication cookies, security tokens, load-balancing cookies, checkout and cart cookies, and required accessibility preferences.