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.NET architecture interview questions : - What are benefits and Limitation of using Viewstate, hidden frames and Cookies?

• By Shiv Prasad Koirala in .Net
• Feb 12th, 2014
• 8729
• 0

Following are the benefits of using Viewstate:-

• No server resources are required because state is in a structure in the page code.
  
  
• Simplicity.
  
  
• States are retained automatically.
  
  
• The values in view state are hashed, compressed, and encoded, thus representing a higher state of security than hidden fields.
  
  
• View state is good for caching data in Web frame configurations because the data is cached on the client.
  
  

Following are limitation of using Viewstate:-

• Page loading and posting performance decreases when large values are stored because view state is stored in the page.
  
  
• Although view state stores data in a hashed format, it can still be tampered because it is stored in a hidden field on the page. The information in the hidden field can also be seen if the page output source is viewed directly, creating a potential security risk.
  
  

Below is sample of storing values in view state.

Benefits and limitations of using Hidden frames

Following are the benefits of using hidden frames:-

• You can cache more than one data field.
  
  
• The ability to cache and access data items stored in different hidden forms.
  
  
• The ability to access JScript® variable values stored in different frames if they come from the same site.
  
  

The limitations of using hidden frames are:-

• Hidden frames are not supported on all browsers.
  
  
• Hidden frames data can be tampered thus creating security hole.

Benefits and limitations of using Cookies

Following are benefits of using cookies for state management:-

• No server resources are required as they are stored in client.
  
  
• They are light weight and simple to use
  
  

Following are limitation of using cookies:-

• Most browsers place a 4096-byte limit on the size of a cookie, although support for 8192-byte cookies is becoming more common in the new browser and client-device versions available today.
  
  
• Some users disable their browser or client device's ability to receive cookies, thereby limiting the use of cookies.
  
  
• Cookies can be tampered and thus creating a security hole.
  
  
• Cookies can expire thus leading to inconsistency.
  
  

Below is sample code of implementing cookies

Also click and see the following ASP.NET interview questions video on distinguishing between session and viewstate