HTTPCookie

HTTPCookie is a class in Apple's Foundation framework that models an HTTP cookie. Cookies are small data pieces used by servers to maintain state, preferences, or tracking information between a client and a server. An HTTPCookie encapsulates both the cookie’s name and value and its associated metadata, such as the domain and path for which the cookie is valid, an expiration date, and security attributes.

Core properties typically exposed by HTTPCookie include name, value, domain, path, expiresDate (or the absence of an expiration date to indicate a session cookie), isSecure, and isHttpOnly. Additional metadata such as a comment, a commentURL, and a version may also be available depending on the cookie’s origin and the API surface being used.

Creation and parsing: HTTPCookie can be instantiated from a dictionary of properties using an initializer, where keys specify the name, value, domain, path, and other attributes. In practice, the rendering or parsing of cookies from HTTP responses (for example, handling Set-Cookie headers) is supported by the framework, which can produce HTTPCookie objects and store them for later use.

Storage and usage: Cookies are stored in HTTPCookieStorage.shared and are associated with particular URLs. You can query the storage for cookies applicable to a given URL or retrieve all cookies. When making requests, cookies can be included in request headers as appropriate for the target URL. The storage system handles the persistence of cookies with expiration dates, while session cookies may be kept only in memory.

Security and lifecycle: The isSecure flag ensures cookies are transmitted only over secure connections, and isHttpOnly prevents access from client-side scripts. Cookies with an expiration date persist across sessions, while those without typically last only for the current session.