LOCAL STORAGE(explained)

Before i go into what local storage is, let me quickly give a simple background.

The Web storage API provides mechanisms by which browsers can securely store key/value pairs.

for example,

firstName : Victor

THE TWO MECHANISMS ARE:

1. Session Storage: This maintains a separate storage area as long as the browser is open.

2. Local Storage: This continues to store data even after the browser is closed.

Both local storage and session storage are properties of the window object which simply represents an open window in a browser.

WHAT REALLY IS LOCAL STORAGE?

Local storage is a property that allows JavaScript sites and apps to save key/value pairs in a web browser.

HOW DOES LOCAL STORAGE WORK?

Local storage works using five simple methods, so hang on as we dive into each of them.

1. setItem(): This is used to add key and value to local storage.
2. getItem(): This is used to get or extract items from the local storage.
3. removeItem(): This is used to remove an item by key from the local storage.
4. clear(): This is used to clear all data from the local storage.
5. key(): passes a number to retrieve the key of a local storage

"local storage can only store a string. If you want to store an array, you would have to convert it to a string using JSON.stringify"

However, local storage is not golden as it has it's own limitations, some of which are:

• Local storage cannot be used to store sensitive user information

• It is not a substitute for server based database as information is only stored on the browser

• Local storage is limited to 5MB across all major browsers

• Local storage is quite insecure as it has no form of data protection and can be accessed by any code on your webpage

• Local storage is synchronous, meaning each operation called would only execute one after the other

Thanks for reading!. I believe you have been able to get a basic understanding about local storage and the different methods of using local storage.