Cancel vs back button

Back means navigating away from your current page, but it doesn't tell the users what happens to their input on the current page. Cancel clearly communicates that you are about to abort the process, and thus clearing the info you might have entered will be lost.

1. What is the difference between cancel and close button?
2. What is the purpose of Cancel button?
3. Should cancel be a button or a link?
4. What is the difference between close and cancel?

What is the difference between cancel and close button?

Presenting two distinct buttons: X for closing the view (with the side effect of saving intermediate work) and Cancel for abandoning the process.

What is the purpose of Cancel button?

In this article

A cancel button is clicked whenever the user presses the ESC key, regardless of which other control on the form has the focus. Such a button is usually programmed to enable the user to quickly exit an operation without committing to any action.

Should cancel be a button or a link?

To summarize

The cancel option is similar to aborting an action, and therefore similar to navigating back to the previous state of the UI. Navigation is represented in web UI as hyperlinks, and thus the cancel option should be a hyperlink.

What is the difference between close and cancel?

What is the difference between Canceling and Closing a Sales Order? On a sales order you have the option to either "cancel" or "close" the order. A sales order can be "cancelled" if it has no completed invoices against it. If the order does have completed invoices against it, the order can be "closed."