Privacy tooling
What is No-logs policy?
A no-logs policy is a commitment not to retain records of user activity such as connection metadata, netflow or DNS queries. The distinction that matters is between logs that are not kept and logs that are never generated.
Why No-logs policy matters
The distinction that matters is between logs that are not kept and logs that are never generated. Ask specifically about netflow: a provider can truthfully say it does not sell data while retaining a complete connection record.
No-logs policy in practice
Run a no-logs server and you trade memory for trust. Netflow summaries, DNS query lists, connection timestamps—each one a possible subpoena target. You configure nothing, because there is nothing to configure: the kernel does not write them. Snapshot retention, backup copies, even the panel's own audit trail become the place a record could survive. If a jurisdiction demands connection records and you cannot produce them, you lose the server. The absence is the product.
What people get wrong about No-logs policy
People assume no-logs means 'not selling your data'. That is a privacy policy, not a no-logs policy. The correction: no-logs is about retention and generation, not commerce. A provider can keep a complete netflow archive, sell nothing, and still defeat the term. Ask what the network stack actually emits, not what marketing promises.
No-logs policy — common questions
How can I verify a provider's no-logs claim?
Look for an architecture that never generates the data. Check whether the provider's network stack emits netflow, and whether DNS queries are logged. A true no-logs provider has nothing to show you because nothing was written. Ask for a statement on logging from the panel and API — but verification is ultimately trust.
What logs do no-logs providers still keep?
Operationally unavoidable data, like your email address and payment records, stays. Also, connection logs may be retained for a specific period — here, 0 days. Expect account identifiers, but no netflow or DNS query data. Ask which data categories persist, and the retention window for each.
More from privacy tooling
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- WireGuard is a VPN protocol implemented in about 4,000 lines of kernel code with a fixed modern cipher suite.
- OpenVPN
- OpenVPN is a mature userspace VPN protocol with configurable ciphers that can run over TCP or UDP.
- Tor
- Tor routes traffic through three volunteer-operated relays chosen so that no single relay knows both the origin and the destination.
- Tor exit node
- A Tor exit node is the final relay in a circuit, which connects to the destination and therefore appears to be the source of the traffic.
- Onion service
- An onion service is a service reachable only through Tor, whose address is derived from its public key rather than registered with any authority.
- SOCKS5
- SOCKS5 is a proxy protocol that forwards arbitrary TCP and UDP traffic, with optional authentication.
- Shadowsocks
- Shadowsocks is an encrypted proxy protocol designed to be difficult to identify by traffic analysis.