What does Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) manage?

Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) is a security feature implemented in web browsers that manages how resources can be requested from a different domain than the one that served the web page. When a web application attempts to access resources (such as APIs or fonts) from a different origin, the browser will check to see if the server hosting that resource has allowed such requests through HTTP headers.

The significance of CORS lies in its role in preventing various security risks, such as cross-site request forgery (CSRF) and cross-site scripting (XSS). By managing permissions on resource sharing, CORS helps ensure that a web application can only access resources from trusted domains, thereby protecting user data and maintaining secure communication between different entities.

The other options focus on different aspects of web development that CORS does not address. For example, database connections are managed by specific protocols and technologies rather than CORS. The loading speed of resources is impacted by various factors, including network latency and resource optimization, but is not governed by CORS. User interface design is concerned with how applications look and feel, which is independent of cross-origin requests. Hence, the correct answer accurately reflects the function of CORS in managing security for cross-domain resource requests.