Privacy Policy
We believe privacy for developers and sysadmins is non-negotiable. This document details our non-custodial architecture, strict zero-tracking practices, and data retention standards.
Cockpit never intercepts, inspects, or logs your terminal keystrokes, shell commands, or server files. We do not sell user data, we do not run behavioral advertising trackers, and our business model relies strictly on voluntary server marketplace compute volume.
1. Information We Never Collect
To provide transparency, we begin with what Cockpit fundamentally excludes from data collection by design:
- Plaintext Server Credentials: Your SSH private keys, passphrases, and root passwords are encrypted client-side in browser memory. They never enter our databases in plaintext.
- Terminal & Command Content: We do not log shell inputs, executed binaries, command histories, or output streams generated across terminal sessions.
- Server File Contents: When you browse, edit, or transfer files using our interface, data is streamed directly between your browser and target machine without cloud indexing.
- Target Server Environment: We do not index your environment variables, database contents, customer records, or internal proprietary scripts.
2. Information We Collect & Why
We collect only the minimal data necessary to deliver account authentication, manage active sessions, and process compute orders:
Email address and authentication tokens used to secure your Cockpit account and prevent unauthorized account takeover.
Server nicknames, target IP addresses, SSH ports, and encrypted ciphertext blobs (keys encrypted with your local master secret).
For cloud compute purchases, payment transactions are handled through certified PCI-DSS Level 1 payment processors. We store billing receipts and invoice histories, but never store raw credit card numbers.
Transient network logs (connection timestamp, coarse IP subnet, and disconnect error codes) maintained for rolling 7-day intervals to troubleshoot platform network degradation and block automated brute-force attacks.
3. Non-Custodial & Zero-Knowledge Security
Cockpit employs local client WebCrypto primitives. Sensitive credentials stored for quick reconnect are encrypted on your device prior to transit. Even in the theoretical event of a full database disclosure, an adversary cannot decrypt your server credentials without your client-side derivation keys.
Our engineers, support personnel, and automated systems have zero technical capability to view, decrypt, or access your remote infrastructure.
4. Third-Party Disclosures & Service Providers
We do not sell, rent, monetize, or trade your personal information or infrastructure telemetry to third parties. Data is shared exclusively under the following strict operational boundaries:
- Cloud Infrastructure Providers: When you purchase on-demand compute via our Server Marketplace, instance configuration parameters are submitted to the chosen cloud provider (such as Hetzner, AWS, or DigitalOcean) to provision your machine.
- Payment Processors: Transaction details are shared with certified payment infrastructure providers to process payments and handle fraud prevention.
- Legal Compliance: We disclose information only if required by lawful subpoenas or court orders with verified jurisdiction, and only to the narrow extent required by law.
5. Data Retention & Right to Deletion (GDPR / CCPA)
You maintain complete authority over your data. Under global privacy standards including GDPR and CCPA, you have the right to:
- Access, export, or transfer your account records at any time.
- Delete individual server profiles, credentials, and connection metadata with immediate purging from our systems.
- Permanently delete your entire Cockpit account, which triggers automated deletion passes across all database records and ciphertext associations.
To request manual verification or full data destruction, email privacy@cockpit.run.
6. Cookies & Local Storage
Cockpit uses minimal local storage strictly for operational functionality:
- Session Tokens: Secure HTTP-only cookies to keep you signed in securely.
- Client Preferences: Local storage flags for terminal themes, layout positions, and startup redirect choices (such as "Launch Desktop Directly").
We do not use cross-site tracking cookies, third-party advertising pixels, or invasive behavioral session recording software.
7. Security Standards
We implement industry-grade security measures to safeguard your information, including mandatory TLS 1.3 encryption in transit, AES-256-GCM authenticated payloads, strict Cross-Origin Isolation policies, and isolated multi-tenant architecture designed to meet SOC 2 Type II trust principles.
Privacy Inquiries & Data Officer
If you have questions, feedback, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact our data protection team: