Stateful

Written by Max Hinchman

Introduction

Stateful refers to when a receiver (usually a server) is able to retain information from the session. The data in a stateful protocol is sent to the server and the server then keeps a history of the session. One example of a stateful protocol is FTP, file transfer protocol. FTP is protocol used to transfer computer files between a client and a server on a network. During a session with a FTP server, the user is information is stored on the server as part of the user’s state. Another example of a stateful protocol is TCP, which is the communication service between an application and the Internet Protocol. Applications such as the web, email, and file transfer rely on TCP.

The advantage of the stateful protocol is that it allows data like user info to be maintained during the session. This also means that applications and websites can keep track of user. The disadvantage with a stateful protocol is that it makes the design of the server very complex. Because of the amount of information that the server has to handle in a stateful protocol, the transactions are handled very slowly.

Suggested Reading

Stateful and stateless authentication by Kenneth Choi

Understanding Web 3 — A User Controlled Internet by Emre Tekisalp

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