Package jakarta.servlet.http

Class Cookie

java.lang.Object
jakarta.servlet.http.Cookie
All Implemented Interfaces:
Serializable, Cloneable
public class Cookie extends Object implements Cloneable, Serializable
Creates a cookie, a small amount of information sent by a servlet to a Web browser, saved by the browser, and later sent back to the server. A cookie's value can uniquely identify a client, so cookies are commonly used for session management.

A cookie has a name, a single value, and optional attributes such as a comment, path and domain qualifiers, a maximum age, and a version number. Some Web browsers have bugs in how they handle the optional attributes, so use them sparingly to improve the interoperability of your servlets.

The servlet sends cookies to the browser by using the HttpServletResponse.addCookie(jakarta.servlet.http.Cookie) method, which adds fields to HTTP response headers to send cookies to the browser, one at a time. The browser is expected to support 20 cookies for each Web server, 300 cookies total, and may limit cookie size to 4 KB each.

The browser returns cookies to the servlet by adding fields to HTTP request headers. Cookies can be retrieved from a request by using the HttpServletRequest.getCookies() method. Several cookies might have the same name but different path attributes.

Cookies affect the caching of the Web pages that use them. HTTP 1.0 does not cache pages that use cookies created with this class. This class does not support the cache control defined with HTTP 1.1.

This class supports cookies as defined by RFC 6265.

See Also:

  • Constructor Summary

    Constructors
    Constructor
    Description
    Cookie(String name, String value)
    Constructs a cookie with the specified name and value.

  • Method Summary

    Modifier and Type
    Method
    Description
    Object
    clone()
    Overrides the standard java.lang.Object.clone method to return a copy of this Cookie.
    boolean
    equals(Object obj)
     
    String
    getAttribute(String name)
    Gets the value of the cookie attribute associated with the given name.
    Map<String,String>
    getAttributes()
    Returns an unmodifiable mapping of all cookie attributes set via setAttribute(String, String) as well as any predefined setter method, except for version.
    String
    getComment()
    Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version.
    This is no longer required with RFC 6265
    String
    getDomain()
    Gets the domain name of this Cookie.
    int
    getMaxAge()
    Gets the maximum age in seconds of this Cookie.
    String
    getName()
    Returns the name of the cookie.
    String
    getPath()
    Returns the path on the server to which the browser returns this cookie.
    boolean
    getSecure()
    Returns true if the browser is sending cookies only over a secure protocol, or false if the browser can send cookies using any protocol.
    String
    getValue()
    Gets the current value of this Cookie.
    int
    getVersion()
    Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version.
    This is no longer required with RFC 6265
    int
    hashCode()
     
    boolean
    isHttpOnly()
    Checks whether this Cookie has been marked as HttpOnly.
    void
    setAttribute(String name, String value)
    Sets the value of the cookie attribute associated with the given name.
    void
    setComment(String purpose)
    Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version.
    This is no longer required with RFC 6265
    void
    setDomain(String domain)
    Specifies the domain within which this cookie should be presented.
    void
    setHttpOnly(boolean httpOnly)
    Marks or unmarks this Cookie as HttpOnly.
    void
    setMaxAge(int expiry)
    Sets the maximum age in seconds for this Cookie.
    void
    setPath(String uri)
    Specifies a path for the cookie to which the client should return the cookie.
    void
    setSecure(boolean flag)
    Indicates to the browser whether the cookie should only be sent using a secure protocol, such as HTTPS or SSL.
    void
    setValue(String newValue)
    Assigns a new value to this Cookie.
    void
    setVersion(int v)
    Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version.
    This is no longer required with RFC 6265
    String
    toString()
     

    Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

    finalize, getClass, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait

  • Constructor Details

    • Cookie

      public Cookie(String name, String value)
      Constructs a cookie with the specified name and value.

      The name must conform to RFC 6265. However, vendors may provide a configuration option that allows cookie names conforming to the original Netscape Cookie Specification to be accepted.

      The name of a cookie cannot be changed once the cookie has been created.

      The value can be anything the server chooses to send. Its value is probably of interest only to the server. The cookie's value can be changed after creation with the setValue method.

      Parameters:
      name - the name of the cookie
      value - the value of the cookie
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the cookie name is null or empty or contains any illegal characters (for example, a comma, space, or semicolon) or matches a token reserved for use by the cookie protocol
      See Also:

  • Method Details

    • setComment

      @Deprecated(since="Servlet 6.0", forRemoval=true) public void setComment(String purpose)
      Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version.
      This is no longer required with RFC 6265
      With the adoption of support for RFC 6265, this method should no longer be used.

      If called, this method has no effect.

      Parameters:
      purpose - This parameter is ignored
      See Also:

    • getComment

      @Deprecated(since="Servlet 6.0", forRemoval=true) public String getComment()
      Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version.
      This is no longer required with RFC 6265
      With the adoption of support for RFC 6265, this method should no longer be used.
      Returns:
      Always null
      See Also:

    • setDomain

      public void setDomain(String domain)
      Specifies the domain within which this cookie should be presented.

      The form of the domain name is specified by RFC 6265. A domain name begins with a dot (.foo.com) and means that the cookie is visible to servers in a specified Domain Name System (DNS) zone (for example, www.foo.com, but not a.b.foo.com). By default, cookies are only returned to the server that sent them.

      Parameters:
      domain - the domain name within which this cookie is visible; form is according to RFC 6265
      See Also:

    • getDomain

      public String getDomain()
      Gets the domain name of this Cookie.

      Domain names are formatted according to RFC 6265.

      Returns:
      the domain name of this Cookie
      See Also:

    • setMaxAge

      public void setMaxAge(int expiry)
      Sets the maximum age in seconds for this Cookie.

      A positive value indicates that the cookie will expire after that many seconds have passed. Note that the value is the maximum age when the cookie will expire, not the cookie's current age.

      A negative value means that the cookie is not stored persistently and will be deleted when the Web browser exits. A zero value causes the cookie to be deleted.

      Parameters:
      expiry - an integer specifying the maximum age of the cookie in seconds; if negative, means the cookie is not stored; if zero, deletes the cookie
      See Also:

    • getMaxAge

      public int getMaxAge()
      Gets the maximum age in seconds of this Cookie.

      By default, -1 is returned, which indicates that the cookie will persist until browser shutdown.

      Returns:
      an integer specifying the maximum age of the cookie in seconds; if negative, means the cookie persists until browser shutdown
      See Also:

    • setPath

      public void setPath(String uri)
      Specifies a path for the cookie to which the client should return the cookie.

      The cookie is visible to all the pages in the directory you specify, and all the pages in that directory's subdirectories. A cookie's path must include the servlet that set the cookie, for example, /catalog, which makes the cookie visible to all directories on the server under /catalog.

      Consult RFC 6265 for more information on setting path names for cookies.

      Parameters:
      uri - a String specifying a path
      See Also:

    • getPath

      public String getPath()
      Returns the path on the server to which the browser returns this cookie. The cookie is visible to all subpaths on the server.
      Returns:
      a String specifying a path that contains a servlet name, for example, /catalog
      See Also:

    • setSecure

      public void setSecure(boolean flag)
      Indicates to the browser whether the cookie should only be sent using a secure protocol, such as HTTPS or SSL.

      The default value is false.

      Parameters:
      flag - if true, sends the cookie from the browser to the server only when using a secure protocol; if false, sent on any protocol
      See Also:

    • getSecure

      public boolean getSecure()
      Returns true if the browser is sending cookies only over a secure protocol, or false if the browser can send cookies using any protocol.
      Returns:
      true if the browser uses a secure protocol, false otherwise
      See Also:

    • getName

      public String getName()
      Returns the name of the cookie. The name cannot be changed after creation.
      Returns:
      the name of the cookie

    • setValue

      public void setValue(String newValue)
      Assigns a new value to this Cookie.

      If you use a binary value, you may want to use BASE64 encoding.

      With Version 0 cookies, values should not contain white space, brackets, parentheses, equals signs, commas, double quotes, slashes, question marks, at signs, colons, and semicolons. Empty values may not behave the same way on all browsers.

      Parameters:
      newValue - the new value of the cookie
      See Also:

    • getValue

      public String getValue()
      Gets the current value of this Cookie.
      Returns:
      the current value of this Cookie
      See Also:

    • getVersion

      @Deprecated(since="Servlet 6.0", forRemoval=true) public int getVersion()
      Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version.
      This is no longer required with RFC 6265
      With the adoption of support for RFC 6265, this method should no longer be used.
      Returns:
      Always 0
      See Also:

    • setVersion

      @Deprecated(since="Servlet 6.0", forRemoval=true) public void setVersion(int v)
      Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version.
      This is no longer required with RFC 6265
      With the adoption of support for RFC 6265, this method should no longer be used.

      If called, this method has no effect.

      Parameters:
      v - This parameter is ignored
      See Also:

    • clone

      public Object clone()
      Overrides the standard java.lang.Object.clone method to return a copy of this Cookie.
      Overrides:
      clone in class Object

    • setHttpOnly

      public void setHttpOnly(boolean httpOnly)
      Marks or unmarks this Cookie as HttpOnly.

      If httpOnly is set to true, this cookie is marked as HttpOnly, by adding the HttpOnly attribute to it.

      HttpOnly cookies are not supposed to be exposed to client-side scripting code, and may therefore help mitigate certain kinds of cross-site scripting attacks.

      Parameters:
      httpOnly - true if this cookie is to be marked as HttpOnly, false otherwise
      Since:
      Servlet 3.0

    • isHttpOnly

      public boolean isHttpOnly()
      Checks whether this Cookie has been marked as HttpOnly.
      Returns:
      true if this Cookie has been marked as HttpOnly, false otherwise
      Since:
      Servlet 3.0

    • setAttribute

      public void setAttribute(String name, String value)
      Sets the value of the cookie attribute associated with the given name.

      This should sync to any predefined attribute for which already a getter/setter pair exist in the current version, except for version. E.g. when cookie.setAttribute("domain", domain) is invoked, then cookie.getDomain() should return exactly that value, and vice versa.

      Parameters:
      name - the name of the cookie attribute to set the value for, case insensitive
      value - the value of the cookie attribute associated with the given name, can be null
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the cookie name is null or empty or contains any illegal characters (for example, a comma, space, or semicolon) or matches a token reserved for use by the cookie protocol.
      NumberFormatException - if the cookie is a known field with a numerical value (eg Max-Age), but the value is not able to be parsed.
      Since:
      Servlet 6.0

    • getAttribute

      public String getAttribute(String name)
      Gets the value of the cookie attribute associated with the given name.

      This should sync to any predefined attribute for which already a getter/setter pair exist in the current version, except for version. E.g. when cookie.setAttribute("domain", domain) is invoked, then cookie.getDomain() should return exactly that value, and vice versa.

      Parameters:
      name - the name of the cookie attribute to get the value of, case insensitive
      Returns:
      the value of the cookie attribute associated with the given name
      Since:
      Servlet 6.0

    • getAttributes

      public Map<String,String> getAttributes()
      Returns an unmodifiable mapping of all cookie attributes set via setAttribute(String, String) as well as any predefined setter method, except for version.
      Returns:
      an unmodifiable mapping of all cookie attributes set via setAttribute(String, String) as well as any predefined setter method, except for version
      Since:
      Servlet 6.0

    • hashCode

      public int hashCode()
      Overrides:
      hashCode in class Object

    • equals

      public boolean equals(Object obj)
      Overrides:
      equals in class Object

    • toString

      public String toString()
      Overrides:
      toString in class Object