What is the programming structure of a user based log in for the web?

Robin P: What is the programming structure of a user based log in for the web?
I am an intermediate hobby programmer that want to create a user based log in to my website. What is the basic structure to setting this up, and how do you keep a user logged in while browsing my site? Do you keep track of who is logged in using cookies?

If it matters, I will use python scripting which I can execute from my cgi-bin folder, I have knowledge and access to MySQL, some cookie programming knowledge.

Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Hiren
User can remain logged in to your site with session, so each time user logs in the system will create a login session for the user.

You can create some area of the website that is available to logged in users only by passing if condition that requires that only logged in users can get access. Alternatively, non-member users will be redirected to login page. User login details are varified against the user data in MySQL database.