Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 September 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what information SadHost ("we", "us") collects when you use our website, our control panel and our game server hosting service, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. By creating an account or using the service you agree to this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.

1. Information we collect

Account information — your Discord account identifier, username, email address and, if you sign in with email and password, a password hash (never the password itself).
Server information — the servers you create, their settings, files, console output and logs. Files you upload remain yours.
Usage information — pages visited, referral source, approximate location derived from your IP address (country/city level), device and browser type, and interactions with the panel. This is collected with Google Analytics 4.
Technical and security data — IP address, timestamps and action logs used to keep accounts secure and to detect abuse such as spam registrations, crypto-mining or network attacks.
Cookies and similar storage — a session cookie keeps you signed in; analytics and advertising cookies are described in section 3.

2. How we use information

To create and operate your account and to host, start, stop and hibernate your servers.
To keep the service secure, prevent abuse and enforce our Terms of Service.
To answer support requests and to send important service notices (for example security or downtime messages).
To understand which pages and guides are useful, so we can improve them.
To display advertising on our public content pages (see section 3). We never display ads inside the control panel.

3. Cookies, analytics and third-party advertising

We use a small number of essential cookies that make the panel work — most importantly the session cookie that keeps you signed in, and a CSRF token that protects forms against cross-site request forgery. These cannot be switched off without breaking the service.

For measurement we use Google Analytics 4. For advertising on our public content pages (blog and guide pages) we may use Google AdSense. Google and its partners, as third-party vendors, use cookies — including the Google advertising cookie — to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and/or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to our site and/or other sites on the internet.

You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
You can opt out of many third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info and youronlinechoices.eu.
More detail is available in How Google uses information from sites that use its services.

We use a consent banner with Google Consent Mode. Until you make a choice, and if you choose Essential only, advertising and analytics storage stay denied and we do not load personalised advertising. Your choice is stored in your browser's local storage under the key sadhost_consent_v1; you can change it at any time by clearing that entry (or your browser data) and reloading the page. Visitors in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland additionally see a Google-certified consent message where required by law.

Advertising partners may also process your data outside your country; transfers rely on the safeguards described in their own privacy policies. We do not sell your personal data.

We do not sell your personal data. We only share it with service providers that are necessary to run the service, and where the law requires it:

Infrastructure and hosting providers that run our panel and game nodes, including the datacentre that stores your server files.
Discord, when you sign in with Discord, receives the authentication request; we receive your Discord ID, username and email address.
Cloudflare for DNS records created for your free subdomain.
Google for analytics and, on public content pages, advertising.
Modpack and plugin sources (for example CurseForge, Modrinth, Hangar or Spigot) when a download you requested is fetched on your behalf.
Authorities, where we are legally required to respond to a valid request.

5. How long we keep data

Account data is kept while your account exists and for up to 30 days after you request deletion, so that accidental deletions can be reversed and abuse cannot immediately re-register.
Server files are deleted when you delete the server. Idle servers are hibernated, then removed under the schedule published in the Helpdesk; you can always download your world first.
Security and access logs are kept for a limited period (typically up to 90 days) and then deleted or anonymised.
Analytics data is retained according to the retention setting of our Google Analytics property (currently 14 months).

6. Security

Passwords are stored only as salted hashes, traffic is encrypted with HTTPS, nodes run isolated containers per server and administrative access is restricted. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data. If we ever become aware of a breach affecting your personal data, we will notify you and the relevant authority as required.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, export, restrict or delete the personal data we hold about you, to object to processing, and to withdraw consent for analytics or advertising cookies at any time. To exercise any of these rights, email support@sadhost.com from the address on your account. We respond within 30 days. You can also disable cookies in your browser — note that parts of the panel, in particular staying signed in, will stop working.

8. Children

The service is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country, whichever is higher). If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the service and the law change. Material changes will be announced on the site and the "last updated" date above will change. Continued use of the service after an update means you accept the revised policy.

10. Contact

Questions, requests or complaints about privacy? Email support@sadhost.com or reach us on Discord. See also our Terms of Service and SadCoins & Refunds pages.