Last updated: June 6, 2026
VanillaNodes Cookie Policy
1. Introduction
This Cookie Policy explains how VanillaNodes ("VanillaNodes," "we," "us," or "our"), operator of the brand VanillaNodes and the website vanillanodes.com (the "Site"), uses cookies and similar technologies when you visit the Site or use our game-server hosting services (the "Services").
We have written this policy to be plain and honest about a simple reality: VanillaNodes runs a deliberately minimal cookie footprint. We do not use advertising cookies, cross-site tracking pixels, or third-party marketing trackers. The only cookies we set are the ones strictly required to keep you logged in to your control panel.
This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service. Capitalized terms not defined here have the meaning given in those documents.
2. What Are Cookies?
A cookie is a small text file that a website places on your device (computer, phone, or tablet) when you visit it. Cookies are widely used to make websites function, to remember your preferences or login state, and—on many sites—to collect analytics or serve advertising.
Cookies can be described in a few ways:
- First-party cookies are set by the website you are visiting (in our case, vanillanodes.com). Third-party cookies are set by a domain other than the one you are visiting.
- Session cookies are temporary and are deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies remain on your device until they expire or you delete them.
- Strictly necessary cookies are required for a site to work and cannot be switched off in our systems. Other categories—such as preference, analytics, and marketing cookies—are optional.
Some technologies serve similar purposes to cookies, including local storage, session storage, pixels, and web beacons. Where we use any such technology, we treat it under this policy in the same way as a cookie.
3. How We Use Cookies
VanillaNodes uses cookies for one purpose only: to operate the secure login and session for your account and control panel.
We do not use cookies to:
- serve advertising or build advertising profiles;
- track you across other websites or over time for marketing;
- sell or share your browsing activity with data brokers or ad networks.
When you sign in to your VanillaNodes account or control panel, we set a strictly necessary session cookie so that the system can recognize you as you move between pages, keep you authenticated, and protect your session. Without this cookie, you could not log in or stay logged in, and the control panel would not function.
4. Analytics Without Cookies
We measure basic, aggregate Site traffic using Cloudflare Web Analytics, which is a privacy-first, cookieless analytics tool. It does not set cookies on your device, does not use a unique identifier to track you across sites, and does not build a profile of your activity. It reports anonymized, aggregated information such as page views and referrers so we can understand general Site usage. Because it is cookieless, it requires no consent cookie and gives you nothing to opt out of at the cookie level.
5. Cookies We Set
The table below lists the cookies VanillaNodes uses. Because we use only strictly necessary cookies, this list is short.
| Cookie name | Type | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pterodactyl_session | Strictly necessary (first-party) | VanillaNodes (control panel) | Maintains your authenticated login session in the control panel so you stay signed in and your session is kept secure. | Session (cleared on logout or after a period of inactivity) |
| XSRF-TOKEN | Strictly necessary (first-party) | VanillaNodes (control panel) | Protects against cross-site request forgery on authenticated actions. | Session |
Specific cookie names, values, and durations may change as we update our control-panel software. We will keep this table current and continue to limit ourselves to strictly necessary cookies. Cookie names and exact lifetimes are to be confirmed against the deployed control-panel software.
6. Cookies Set by Third Parties
VanillaNodes does not set third-party advertising, analytics, or social-media cookies on the Site.
We use Stripe to process payments. We do not store your card details. When you make a payment, Stripe may set cookies or use similar technologies on the checkout or payment pages it controls, in order to process the transaction, prevent fraud, and provide its own services. Those cookies are governed by Stripe's own cookie and privacy policies, not by this one. If any other third-party service we rely on sets cookies in connection with the Services, we will update this policy to identify it.
7. Legal Basis and Consent
Because the only cookies we set are strictly necessary to deliver a service you have actively requested—logging in to your account and control panel—they are exempt from prior-consent requirements under applicable laws, including the EU/UK ePrivacy rules and the GDPR. We therefore do not display a cookie consent banner, because we have no optional, analytics, or marketing cookies for which consent would be required.
If we ever introduce cookies that are not strictly necessary, we will first update this policy and, where the law requires it, request your consent (for example, through a consent banner) before setting them.
8. Managing and Disabling Cookies
You are always in control of cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers let you view the cookies stored on your device, block all or some cookies, and delete cookies that are already set. To manage cookies, consult the help documentation for your browser, for example:
- Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
- Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/clear-cookies-and-site-data-firefox
- Apple Safari: https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/sfri11471/mac
- Microsoft Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge
Please note: because our only cookies are strictly necessary for the control panel, blocking or deleting them will prevent you from logging in to or using your VanillaNodes account and control panel. Blocking cookies will not affect our Cloudflare Web Analytics measurement, which is already cookieless.
You can also use browser tools such as "Do Not Track" or Global Privacy Control signals; however, because we do not track you across sites or run advertising cookies, these signals do not change what cookies we set.
9. Data Collected Through Cookies
The strictly necessary session cookie described above is used to keep your control-panel session active and secure; it is not used to profile you or to track you across other websites. For full details of how we collect, use, retain, and protect personal information—and the rights you may have under laws such as the GDPR and the CCPA/CPRA (including rights to access and deletion)—please see our Privacy Policy. Where the session cookie relates to personal information, that information is handled in accordance with the Privacy Policy and is retained only as long as needed to operate your account and session.
10. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the technologies we use, our Services, or applicable law. When we make changes, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If we make a material change—such as introducing any cookie that is not strictly necessary—we will take additional steps where the law requires, which may include posting a more prominent notice or requesting your consent. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
11. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us:
- Privacy enquiries: [email protected]
- General/legal enquiries: [email protected]
- Support: [email protected]
- Postal address: VanillaNodes, available on request
This Cookie Policy is governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA, consistent with our Terms of Service.