Understanding session state
In this section, we'll learn what session state is and why it's necessary. We'll revisit some of the concepts of how the web works and understand why we need session state.
The web is actually not one thing. It is a collection of many technologies. The core of the web is the HTTP protocol. This is the communication protocol that allows the web to work over the internet. A protocol is simply an agreed-upon set of rules for communication. This sounds somewhat straightforward, and for some things, it can be. However, for our application, it's a little more complicated.
The HTTP protocol is a connectionless protocol. This means that HTTP connections are made only at the time a request is made and then released. So, a connection is not maintained, even if a user is actively using a website for hours. This makes HTTP more scalable. However, this also means certain features that larger websites need are more difficult to create when...