What Is a Cold Start?

A cold start is when something new begins without any help from what came before it.

Imagine you're starting a brand-new game, and no one has ever played it before, that's like a cold start. You don’t have any clues or hints about how to win, so you just have to figure it out as you go.

Think of your toy box at the beginning of the school year. It’s completely empty. That’s a cold start, there are no toys to help you decide what to play with first. You might pick up a ball, or maybe a robot, but you don’t know which one is better yet.

Now imagine your toy box is full from last year. You have lots of favorite toys already, that's not a cold start, it’s more like a warm start. You know what works and what doesn't.

So, in the world of computers and apps, a cold start means starting fresh with no history or hints to guide you, just like an empty toy box.