newsession

Newsession is a term used across computing to describe the initiation and management of a distinct interactive period with a system that preserves state between actions. It is a core concept in environments where a user or process maintains information such as authentication status, preferences, or temporary data across multiple requests or commands.

In practice, a new session is created when a user or program begins an interaction with a service. The system assigns a session identifier and stores session data in memory, on disk, or in a distributed store. The session persists across subsequent requests or actions until it expires, is explicitly invalidated, or the user logs out. Sessions typically rely on a mechanism such as cookies, tokens, or session keys to link client requests to their corresponding server-side state. Lifecycle management includes creation, maintenance, expiration, and invalidation, with security policies shaping timeout durations and refresh behavior.

Security considerations are central to sessions. Risks include session hijacking and fixation, which can be mitigated through techniques such as rotating session identifiers, using secure and HttpOnly cookies, implementing proper expiration, and binding sessions to authenticated user contexts or device information.

Common contexts for newsession include web applications, where server-side frameworks manage user state; command-line and REPL environments, where separate sessions isolate different workspaces; and remote or multi-user systems, where session isolation supports concurrent usage. See also session management, cookies, tokens, and authentication.