First-party cookies are small text files created by the website you are currently visiting. They store information about your preferences and activities on that site, such as login details or items in your shopping cart. This helps improve your browsing experience by making it more personalized and efficient. These cookies are only accessible by the website that created them, which means they cannot be read by other sites. This enhances user privacy and security, as third-party cookies, which track users across multiple sites, are not involved. Overall, first-party cookies play a crucial role in web functionality.