How to make a separate login page for the site?

Question

PHP

The task is this:
When visiting the site for the first time, the visitor should see a page with only a content filter.
After that, this page will no longer be the main one. The visitor will no longer see it.
How to organize? Thank you.

Answer 1

Use the session

Answer 2

Better use cookies, sessions will slow down the work. That is, when you enter the site, you check if there is a cookie, if not, then show the page with the content filter, and if there is a cookie, then the user has already been and can be redirected anywhere you want.