Privacy Policy
skipdns.dev ("we") lets you preview a website on a new server before DNS changes. We collect what's needed to run that service and Pro billing, plus Google Analytics on our own pages to see how the site is used. There are no advertising trackers and no user accounts, and preview links are never tracked.
When you create a preview link
We store:
- The server IP address, domain, port and protocol you enter.
- When the link was created and when it expires.
- The IP address you created it from, used for rate limiting and abuse prevention.
- How many times the link has been visited (a number, not who visited).
- For password-protected links (Pro), a salted hash of the password, never the password itself.
This record is deleted automatically when the link expires: after 7 days for free links, or when a Pro link expires. If a Pro subscription ends, its links fall back to the 7-day lifetime counted from creation and are then deleted.
When someone visits a preview link
Requests to a preview link are forwarded to the server the link points at. We don't store the pages or files that pass through. The destination server receives the visitor's request, including their IP address in the standard X-Forwarded-For header, just as it would if the visitor reached it directly. That server is run by whoever created the link, not by us.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 on the pages of skipdns.dev itself: the homepage, guides, comparisons, pricing, Pro and privacy pages. It is not loaded on preview links: traffic to *.skipdns.dev preview subdomains goes straight to the destination server and is never sent to Google Analytics.
Google Analytics records:
- Which of our pages you view, the page that referred you, and campaign tags in the URL. Other URL parameters are removed before sending.
- Device type, browser, operating system, screen size and language.
- Approximate location (country and city), which Google derives from your IP address. Google Analytics 4 does not store IP addresses.
- A few actions on the site: that a preview link was created (only whether it used HTTPS, Pro, a custom subdomain, a password or a custom expiry, never the IP, domain or subdomain), how many links a bulk batch created, clicks on upgrade, Hostinger and guide links, a Pro login, and a Pro purchase (price and a one-way hash of the checkout ID).
We never send IP addresses, domains, Pro keys or email addresses to Google Analytics. Google Signals, advertising features and ad personalisation are turned off, and the data isn't used for ads. Google Analytics keeps event data for 2 months before deleting it; aggregated reports may be kept longer.
Consent: visitors in the EEA, UK and Switzerland are asked first. Until you click Accept, no analytics cookies are set; Google may still receive cookieless, anonymous pings (Google's Consent Mode) used only for aggregate modelling. Elsewhere, analytics is on by default.
Opting out: at any time (choosing Decline also deletes the _ga cookies), block googletagmanager.com with a content blocker, or install Google's Analytics opt-out browser add-on. See also how Google uses data from sites that use its services.
Server logs
Our web server logs each request (IP address, requested URL, browser user agent, time and response status) for security and debugging. Logs are rotated automatically and kept for up to 90 days.
Pro
- Payments are handled by Stripe. We never see or store your card details. From Stripe we receive your email address, Stripe customer and subscription IDs, and subscription status.
- Your Pro key is stored only as a one-way hash. The plain key is shown to you once after checkout and then deleted (or after 24 hours if never shown).
- Device sessions: when you log in with your key, we store a hashed session token, the device's IP address and browser user agent, to enforce the 3-device limit. Sessions expire after 90 days, and logging out deletes that device's session.
- Your Pro record (email, Stripe IDs, status) is kept while needed for billing and support. Email us to have it deleted once your subscription has ended.
Cookies
| Cookie | Set when | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
pro_session | You log in with a Pro key | Keeps this device logged in to Pro | 90 days, or until you log out |
skipdns_preview_access | You enter the password on a protected preview link | Remembers you unlocked that one link | Up to 7 days, or until the link expires |
_ga, _ga_W65C0TMMEC | You visit our pages and analytics is allowed | Google Analytics: tells repeat visits apart | 2 years, or until you decline |
The first two are essential, HttpOnly cookies. The Google Analytics cookies are set only on skipdns.dev itself, never on preview subdomains, and only with your consent where consent is required. Your Accept/Decline choice is remembered in your browser's local storage (skipdns_analytics_consent), and after a Pro purchase a marker stops it being counted twice. We don't use advertising cookies. Cookies set by the website behind a preview link are that website's own.
Third-party services
- Google Analytics measures how our own pages are used, as described under Analytics. See Google's privacy policy.
- Cloudflare Turnstile checks that the preview form is used by a person, not a bot. It loads on pages that show the form. See Cloudflare's privacy policy.
- Google Fonts serves the site's fonts, so your browser requests them from Google's servers. See Google's privacy policy.
- Stripe processes Pro payments and runs the subscription management portal. See Stripe's privacy policy.
- Affiliate link: some pages link to Hostinger through an affiliate network. Nothing is loaded until you click it; after that, Hostinger and the network may set their own cookies.
Sharing
We don't sell or rent personal data, and we don't share it except with the services above to run the site, or when required by law.
Your choices
You can use the free tool without giving us anything beyond the request itself, and you can decline or turn off analytics as described above. To ask what we hold about you, or to have it deleted, email support@skipdns.dev. Include your Pro key's email address if it's about Pro.
Changes
If this policy changes, we'll update this page and the date at the top.