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Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) is a browser mechanism that allows controlled access to resources located outside of a given domain. It's a security feature that helps prevent malicious scripts from accessing sensitive data on other domains.
Here's a breakdown of CORS:
What it does:
Enables controlled sharing of resources between different domains.
Protects sensitive data from unauthorized access.
Defines how a browser and server can interact to allow or deny cross-origin requests.
How it works:
A web application from one domain (origin) makes a request to a resource on another domain (target).
The target server checks its CORS configuration to see if the request is allowed.
If the request is allowed, the server sends a response back to the origin.
If the request is denied, the browser will block the request and prevent the application from accessing the resource.
CORS headers:
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: Specifies which origins are allowed to access the resource.
Access-Control-Allow-Methods: Specifies which HTTP methods are allowed to be used for requests (e.g., GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
Access-Control-Allow-Headers: Specifies which HTTP headers are allowed to be sent with the request.
Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: Specifies whether cookies and other HTTP credentials can be sent with the request.
Benefits of CORS:
Improved security by restricting access to sensitive data.
Enables development of complex web applications that rely on resources from other domains.
Provides a standardized way for browsers and servers to communicate about cross-origin requests.
Examples of CORS in action:
When you embed an image from another website on your blog.
When you use a social media plugin to share content from another website.
When you use an API to access data from another website.
Resources for further learning: