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What are the key differences between session storage and local storage in terms of scope and use cases?
Asked on Dec 22, 2025
Answer
Session storage and local storage are both part of the Web Storage API, providing ways to store data in the browser. Session storage is scoped to the current session and is cleared when the page session ends, while local storage persists across sessions and remains until explicitly deleted. Both are useful for storing key-value pairs, but their use cases differ based on persistence needs.
Example Concept: Session storage is ideal for temporary data that should only last as long as the browser tab is open, such as user interface state or transient data. Local storage, on the other hand, is suitable for data that needs to persist across sessions, like user preferences or settings. Both storage types share a similar API but differ in their lifecycle and scope, affecting how and when data is available.
Additional Comment:
- Session storage is limited to the lifetime of the browser tab or window.
- Local storage persists even after the browser is closed and reopened.
- Both storage types are synchronous and have a storage limit of about 5-10 MB per origin.
- Neither storage type should be used for sensitive data due to lack of encryption.
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