What does state management refer to in web applications?

State management in web applications refers to the process by which a developer maintains page information over multiple requests for the same or different pages. This concept is essential because HTTP, the protocol used for communication on the web, is stateless by design. This means that each request made by the client (typically a web browser) to the server is treated independently and does not inherently retain any information about previous requests.

To create a seamless user experience, developers utilize various mechanisms for state management to store information like user sessions, preferences, and other data that should persist across interactions. Techniques for managing state can include using cookies, session storage, local storage, server-side sessions, and more. These methods ensure that data can be retrieved and maintained even as users navigate through different pages or return to the application at a later time.

In contrast to state management, the other options touch on important aspects of web application security and infrastructure but do not directly address the maintenance of user session data in a web context. Retaining passwords securely, for instance, is a security measure rather than a state management technique, while securing data between client and server focuses on data protection rather than information persistence across requests. Managing multiple servers in a network is related to scalability and load handling, which are