What is the purpose of sessions in web development?

The purpose of sessions in web development is essentially to store user data across multiple requests. Sessions allow developers to maintain state in web applications, which is crucial because HTTP is a stateless protocol. Each time a user interacts with an application, it is as if they are starting anew without any memory of previous interactions.

Using sessions, information such as user preferences, shopping cart contents, or authentication details can persist as the user navigates between different pages of a website. This functionality ensures a more personalized and seamless experience, making it easier for web applications to remember user contexts and tailor responses accordingly.

While enhancing server response speeds, creating visual effects, and validating user credentials are all important aspects of web development, they do not directly pertain to the primary purpose of sessions. Sessions are specifically designed to handle and store stateful information over a browsing experience.