Using localStorage to save user data with vanilla JavaScript
The localStorage
API lets you store data locally (as the name implies) that the browser can access later.
Data is stored indefinitely, and must be a string.
Use setItem()
to store your data, passing in a key as the first argument, and your data value as the second. You can call getItem()
to retrieve your data, and removeItem()
to delete it.
// Store data
var someData = 'The data that I want to store for later.';
localStorage.setItem('myDataKey', someData);
// Get data
var data = localStorage.getItem('myDataKey');
// Remove data
localStorage.removeItem('myDatakey');
localStorage
works in all modern browsers, and back to IE8.
Storage Limits
Browsers provide differing levels of storage space for localStorage
ranging from as little as 2mb up to unlimited.
For browsers with a maximum storage limit, this amount is a total allowable amount of data, not just a max for your specific site or web app. Accordingly, you should try to reduce the overall footprint of your data as much as possible.