Cookies - and why they matter.

Essential Knowledge
When you type a URL into your browser and hit enter, what you are actually doing is sending a request. Your browser (what you are using to access the web) sends what is called a GET request to the web server, essentially asking that specific web server: "will you send me this website page please?". The web server then responds and will send the web page back to your browser provided no errors occur.
More accurately, it will send the files that are required to create a web page: the needed code, assets such as images, and more. The web browser then interprets and processes these files to construct a visible web page that you can interact with using the browser.
This process is carried out through 'https' or 'Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure' (an encrypted extension of the old HTTP system).

Why Cookies?
Originally, the internet was developed as a communication network, a way to share documents and information - the internet was never intended to operate as it does today.
This meant there was never any need for the web server to remember who you are or know anything about you. Eventually processes requiring user data were needing to be implemented, more specifically, online shopping carts were needing to be implemented. This in turn led to the creation of Cookies: little data files sent to your browser by the web server.
 
To help you visualise why these are needed we'll imagine a world without cookies for a second:

• You're on JALFT.com exploring the home page.
• You click the sign-in button.
• The web server sends you the sign-in page.
• You input your credentials and hit enter, loading back to the home page.
• You then click to see your orders.
• The web server sends you the sign-in page.
• You sign in again and click orders.
• The web server sends you the sign-in page.

You may spot the problem - the web server has no way of 'knowing' anything about you, it has no way of knowing who signed in. Due to this, the web server cannot send you your orders page because it doesn't know who you are. Cookies are fundamental to the function of the internet as we know it, this is just one provided example, but the majority of the modern web is designed with cookies in mind.

So how do cookies actually work?

Simply put, cookies are small information files generated by a web server and sent to a web browser. Web browsers store cookies they receive for a specified amount of time and subsequently include them in every further request they make.

We'll go back to the sign-in example:

When you sign in for the first time, the web server generates a session ID cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie is stored locally on your device, independent of your internet connection. The browser then includes the information stored in this cookie with every subsequent request it makes to the server. So, instead of just requesting the orders page, it now requests the orders page along with the stored session ID. When the web server receives this request, it checks the session ID to recognize you as the signed-in user, allowing you to access your orders without needing to sign in again.

Why is this important?

Well for starters, as previously mentioned cookies are the glue that holds the web together, without them you can say goodbye to personal accounts, language preferences, saved shopping baskets, hell - working shopping baskets in general.

But, if you aren't just a stranger looking for cookie information, and you are in fact here from the JALFT CONNECT Rapid Start Guide, you'll know that understanding cookies is key to you understanding how you get paid.

The way that our affiliate links work is that when a user clicks on your link, a cookie is placed on their device - just like it would be with the aforementioned sign in method. However, instead of storing who that person is, it stores where they came from. We have a generous 90 day window in place before that cookie self destructs so if that user makes any order within that 90 day period, the information stored in that cookie will be sent along with the order. That information is what lets our systems know that they were referred by an affiliate and what affiliate they were referred by, allowing us to credit you for the order.

If you do not use your personalised link, no cookie will be placed.

If you change the personalised link at all, no cookie will be placed.

As long as you distribute your original link as found in the JALFT CONNECT Dashboard,  or alternatively use a link generated by our link creation tool, then you can be certain all your actions are being credited for.

There is much more to know about how cookies work, the different types of cookies, and cookie alternatives, but hopefully this blog gives you the clarity you need to launch your JALFT CONNECT journey with a proper understanding.