Cookie Disambiguation via Domain and Path Depth Metadata
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing APIs for managing browser cookies fail to distinguish between cookies with the same name but different domains or paths, leading to ambiguity when reading cookies, as they do not provide information about the domain or path to which the cookie corresponds.
Innovation Solution
Attaching domain depth and path depth values to cookie values, which are computed based on the number of components in the domain and path names, allowing cookies to be disambiguated by including these values in the cookie data stored and retrieved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If all cookies in the same domain are provided when a read request is made, then completeness of cookie retrieval is improved, but distinguishability of cookies with same name from different domains deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cookie value is segmented to include multiple components: the original cookie value and metadata (domain depth, path depth) that provide context information. This segmentation allows the system to retrieve all relevant cookies while maintaining the ability to distinguish their sources through the embedded metadata.
Solution Approach 2:
Metadata (domain depth and path depth values) acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between retrieving all cookies and distinguishing their sources. This intermediary information enables the system to provide complete cookie retrieval while preventing loss of domain context information.
2Measurement precision
If domain depth and path depth values are attached to cookie values, then distinguishability of cookies is improved, but complexity of cookie data structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The domain depth and path depth metadata are merged with the original cookie value into a single unified data structure. This combining approach improves cookie identification precision while managing complexity by integrating multiple pieces of information into one cohesive structure rather than maintaining separate parallel structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The cookie data structure undergoes parameter changes by adding numerical parameters (domain depth, path depth) that enhance identification precision. These parameter additions improve distinguishability while the structured nature of the changes keeps the complexity increase manageable and systematic.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for storing a cookie of a web page are provided. An initial cookie value corresponding to a web page is received, and a domain depth of a uniform resource locator (URL) of the web page is identified. Cookie data including a name-value pair is generated for the web page. The name-value pair includes the initial cookie value and the identified domain depth. The generated cookie data is stored corresponding to a domain of the web page.