How to create a session only cookies with JavaScript?

Session cookies are temporary cookies that expire when the browser session ends (when the user closes the browser). Unlike persistent cookies, they don't have an expiration date set and are automatically deleted when the browser is closed.

Creating Session Cookies

To create a session cookie in JavaScript, simply omit the expires or max-age attribute when setting the cookie:

<script>
// Session cookie - no expiration date
document.cookie = "sessionUser=johnDoe; path=/";

// Another session cookie with additional attributes
document.cookie = "tempData=someValue; path=/; secure; samesite=strict";

console.log("Session cookies created");
console.log("Current cookies:", document.cookie);
</script>

Session cookies created
Current cookies: sessionUser=johnDoe; tempData=someValue

Session vs Persistent Cookies

Example: Creating Multiple Session Cookies

<script>
// Create session cookies for user preferences
document.cookie = "theme=dark; path=/";
document.cookie = "language=en; path=/";
document.cookie = "fontSize=medium; path=/";

// Function to read cookies
function getCookie(name) {
    const cookies = document.cookie.split(';');
    for (let cookie of cookies) {
        const [cookieName, cookieValue] = cookie.trim().split('=');
        if (cookieName === name) {
            return cookieValue;
        }
    }
    return null;
}

console.log("Theme:", getCookie("theme"));
console.log("Language:", getCookie("language"));
console.log("Font Size:", getCookie("fontSize"));
</script>

Theme: dark
Language: en
Font Size: medium

Key Points

• Session cookies have no expires or max-age attribute
• They are automatically deleted when the browser session ends
• Perfect for temporary data like shopping cart contents or user preferences
• More secure than persistent cookies as they don't survive browser restarts

Conclusion

Session cookies are created by omitting expiration attributes when setting cookies. They provide a secure way to store temporary data that automatically expires when the browser closes.