sessions vs. cookies?

[LordRogaine]

I'm new to this, so if I'm not making any sense please forgive me.

Supposing I want to build a site using php and mysql. This site would be hosted on a remote server and could possibly have thousands of people accessing it at the same time. Is it better to use sessions (where the info is stored in files on the server), or cookies (where the info is stored on the users computer). Or is it better to use sessions and have everything stored on a table in the mysql database?

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help.

[Elizabeth]

There are a few problems with cookies-
If the user has them disabled, then your site won't be functional... and people can delete them at their whim. Sessions are more reliable, but the information won't be stored long-term.

If you're storing short-term info, I recommend sessions. But if you're storing info that will be saved long-term, I recommend putting it in a db.

hth
-Elizabeth

[LordRogaine]

thanks for the advice Elizabeth