Privacy policy

Short version: there are no accounts, the tools run in your browser and never upload what you paste, and our hosting provider processes standard request data. The details are below.

Updated 5 min read

Effective date: 25 October 2026.

This policy explains what information is processed when you visit fail2ban.dev ("the site", "we", "us"), why, and what choices you have. fail2ban.dev is an independent documentation website about the open-source fail2ban software; see about this site.

Summary#

  • There are no user accounts, sign-ups, comments or forms that collect personal information.
  • The tools run entirely in your browser. Log lines, regexes and configuration you paste into them are processed on your device and are never sent to our servers or anyone else.
  • We store a few preferences in your browser's local storage (such as light/dark theme). They never leave your device.
  • The site is hosted on Cloudflare, which processes standard request data (such as IP address and browser type) to deliver and protect the site.
  • We use Cloudflare Web Analytics (cookieless) and Google Analytics (which sets cookies) to count visits.
  • We may add advertising in the future. If that involves cookies or similar technologies that require consent where you live, we will ask first.

Information processed when you visit#

When your browser requests a page, the site's hosting and content-delivery provider, Cloudflare, necessarily receives technical information: your IP address, the page requested, the date and time, your browser's user-agent string, the referring page and similar request metadata. Cloudflare uses this to serve the site, protect it against abuse and attacks, and produce aggregated traffic statistics that we can view (for example, page views and countries). We do not use this information to identify individual visitors.

Cloudflare processes this data under its own privacy policy and data processing terms. Some of it may be processed in countries other than your own, including the United States, under the safeguards Cloudflare provides for international transfers.

The browser-based tools#

The regex tester, log analyzer, generators and calculators are JavaScript programs that run locally in your browser. When you paste a log file or a filter into a tool:

  • the text is processed on your device only;
  • it is not uploaded, logged or stored on our servers;
  • closing or reloading the page discards it, unless a tool explicitly offers to remember a draft in your browser's local storage.

You can confirm this with your browser's developer tools: using a tool makes no network request containing your input. Even so, we recommend removing secrets (passwords, tokens) from anything you paste into any website.

Local storage and cookies#

The site uses your browser's local storage to remember preferences such as the colour theme and tool settings. This data stays on your device, is not readable by us and can be cleared at any time in your browser settings.

Cloudflare may set strictly necessary cookies used for security and bot protection. Google Analytics sets first-party cookies (_ga and _ga_<id>, kept for up to 2 years) to tell new visits from returning ones (see Analytics). If we add advertising in the future, additional cookies or similar identifiers may be used, and this section will be updated.

Analytics#

We use two analytics services to see which pages are useful and how fast they load. We only look at aggregated statistics, and blocking either script (for example with a content blocker) doesn't affect the site.

Cloudflare Web Analytics. A small script from static.cloudflareinsights.com reports the page address, the referring page, your browser type, your approximate country (derived from your IP address) and page-load timings. It doesn't set cookies, doesn't use local storage and doesn't follow you to other websites.

Google Analytics 4 (Google LLC / Google Ireland Ltd.). A script from googletagmanager.com reports the pages you view, how you arrived (referrer and search engine), your browser, device type, approximate location (derived from your IP address, which Google Analytics 4 doesn't store) and basic interactions such as scrolling and outbound clicks. It uses the cookies listed above. Nothing you type or paste into the tools is sent to Google Analytics. You can also opt out with Google's browser add-on.

Advertising (future)#

We may in future display advertising from third-party advertising partners to fund the site. If we do:

  • we will update this policy and name the categories of providers;
  • partners may use cookies or similar technologies to measure performance and, where permitted, to show ads based on your interests;
  • where the law requires consent (for example in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland), we will ask for it through a consent tool before non-essential cookies are set, and you will be able to change your choice at any time;
  • where applicable, you will be able to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for targeted advertising.

Where the EU or UK General Data Protection Regulation applies, we rely on our legitimate interests in operating, securing and improving the site for request data processed by our hosting provider and for analytics, and on your consent for any non-essential cookies or similar technologies. If you contact us by email, we process your message to answer it, based on our legitimate interest in responding.

Your rights#

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • access the personal information we hold about you and receive a copy;
  • have inaccurate information corrected or deleted;
  • object to or restrict certain processing;
  • withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier processing;
  • data portability;
  • lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

California residents (CCPA/CPRA) have the right to know what personal information is collected, to request deletion or correction, to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, and not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not sell personal information.

Because we don't run accounts or collect form data, we usually hold no personal information that identifies you. To make a request, write to us using the details on the contact page.

Emails you send us#

If you email us (for example with a correction), we receive your email address and whatever you include in the message. We use it only to reply and to improve the site, and we don't add you to any mailing list. We delete correspondence when it is no longer needed.

Children#

The site is a technical resource for system administrators and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

Pages link to other websites, such as the fail2ban GitHub repository and documentation of other software. Their privacy practices are their own; this policy covers only fail2ban.dev.

Changes to this policy#

If we change this policy, we will update the effective date above, and for significant changes we will make the change visible on the site. Continued use of the site after a change means the updated policy applies.

Contact#

Questions about privacy or requests about your data: see the contact page.

ContactContact fail2ban.dev: email hello@fail2ban.dev with corrections and suggestions, what to include in a report, and where to report fail2ban bugs.Terms of useTerms of use for fail2ban.dev: content provided as is with no warranty, test configs before production, trademarks, GPL-licensed excerpts and external links.About fail2ban.devWho runs fail2ban.dev, what it covers, and how pages are checked against the fail2ban source code, upstream config files and real command output.All toolsFree fail2ban tools in your browser: an online fail2ban-regex tester, filter and jail.local generators, bantime calculator, log analyzer and command builder.

Spotted something wrong or out of date? Tell us — every page is checked against the current fail2ban release.