Why I build these

Your apps, your account, your data. Free software that doesn't ask you to trust me.

Everything here runs in your own Cloudflare account, not mine. You hold the keys, the code is open to read and you can leave whenever you like. Here's exactly who sees what, with nothing hidden.

Who sees what Why it's still better

// why free

Why is it free?

Because it costs me almost nothing. Each app runs in your own Cloudflare account, so there are no servers for me to pay for. I build these because I enjoy it and I use them myself. I share them freely when there isn't a direct cost to myself.

// full transparency

Who sees what.

Three parties are involved when you run one of my apps: me, Cloudflare and you. This is what each one can see.

Me

Almost nothing, and nothing from inside your apps.

No account with me. There's nothing to sign up for, so I don't know who you are.
Your data never comes to me. Not your mail, posts, stats, reports or clients.
Update checks go to GitHub, not to me, and carry nothing about you.
What I can see: anything you choose to send me through the contact form or the updates list, public download counts on GitHub and npm, and cookie-free visit counts for this website.
The online tools are different. They run on my servers, not in your account, and members-only tools need a free account with me. What they keep is in the privacy policy.

Cloudflare

Your host. It runs the servers, under your account.

Traffic logs, such as IP addresses and pages requested, for security and abuse checks, as any host keeps.
Email Routing activity: who sent mail to whom, the subject line and whether it arrived. You can see it too, for up to 30 days.
Email preview: a copy of emails sent through Cloudflare, for about 7 days. It's on by default for new sending domains, and you can switch it off.
App logs, only if switched on: 3 days on the free plan, 7 on the paid one.
Your content stays yours. Cloudflare's data processing terms only let it use your data to run the service, not for adverts or profiling.

You

Everything. It's your account.

All of your data, in your own Cloudflare account, under your own login.
Every line of code, on GitHub, so you can check all of this yourself.
The off switch. Export, delete or move whenever you like.

Cloudflare's own words: privacy policy and data processing addendum. My apps aren't made, endorsed or supported by Cloudflare.

// what leaves your account

What each app shares.

Every outside connection each app makes, and how to take your data with you, checked against its code. Stripe and Cloudflare Turnstile only come into it if you switch them on. If anything changes, the release notes will say so.

AppSent to meSent anywhere elseTake it with you

Mail AppNothingGitHub, about once a day, to see if there's a new release. Public domain records, to spot brand-new domains sending scams. Outside calendars you choose to follow. Gravatar for contact photos, only if you switch photos on.Each mailbox as a standard .mbox file, and calendars as .ics

Blog BuilderNothingGitHub, to see if there's a new release. IndexNow, with the address of a post you've just published, so search engines find it. You can turn that off.The whole blog as a database file, and subscribers as a CSV file

Site WatchNothingThe websites you ask it to watch, public certificate logs and domain records. Alerts go only where you send them.Everything as one JSON file

DMARC ReportsNothingDNS lookups through Cloudflare, to check your domain's records.Every report row as a CSV file

ReaderCountNothingGoogle Search Console and affiliate networks, only if you connect them.Reports as CSV or Excel files, for any date range

// when you delete

When you delete something.

I won't promise "gone forever, instantly", because no host can honestly say that. This is what Cloudflare actually promises.

Gone from your app

Straight away. Nobody using the app can see it any more.

Restorable for 30 days

Cloudflare keeps a rewind window on databases: 30 days on the paid plan, 7 on the free one. After that it can't be restored.

Close your account

Cloudflare purges your personal details within a year, unless the law needs them kept.

The last copies

Cloudflare doesn't publish when its final backup copies are wiped. I'd rather tell you that than guess.

// why it's still better

Cloudflare is big tech. So why is this better?

Fair question. The difference is who holds the keys. A typical online service owns the account, the software and your data. Here, Cloudflare only rents you the servers.

Typical online serviceMy apps, in your account

Whose account is it?TheirsYours, in your own Cloudflare account

Who can read your content?The company, under its own termsYou and the people you let in. I never see it

Adverts or profiling?Depends on the company. Some use your data for adverts or their other productsNone

Can you read the code?Usually notYes, every line

If prices go up or it shuts downYou move, when they sayYour copy keeps running, with or without me

LeavingWhatever export they offerDownload your data any time, in the formats listed above

Doing it yourselfNothing to set up or look afterYou install it and keep it updated

That last row matters. If you'd rather not run anything yourself, a good provider is a perfectly sensible choice. These apps are for people who want the keys.

// the rules I build by

Five promises.

Your account, not mineEvery app installs into your own Cloudflare account.

Read every lineMail App and Blog Builder are open source (AGPL). DMARC Reports, Site Watch and ReaderCount are source available and free for your own use.

Nothing phones home in secretEvery outside connection is listed above, with the minimum possible shared with me.

No tracking you didn't ask forNo adverts, no tracking pixels, no selling data. Ever.

Easy to leaveEvery app has a download button for your data. Or keep running your copy without me.

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