Browser session

The mechanism for recognizing multiple requests from the same browser is called a session. A session recognizes requests from the same browser. A session also supports the maintaining of a Web application state among multiple Web interactions within the same browser instance and with the Web server. The Web server does not recognize whether multiple requests originate from the same browser or not because the HTTP protocol is stateless.

Conceptually, a session can be thought of as an invisible "container" maintained by the WebSphere® Application Server. It keeps track of the specific browser instance that communicates with the Web server. A separate session exists for every separate browser instance communicating to the Web server.

Information generated during a series of Web interactions can be placed into the session. This information can be retrieved for use in other parts of the Web application. The information stored is private to your browser instance and cannot be accessed by other browser instances. You can consider the session as a place to store your global information, or variables.