What The Site Needs
These are strictly necessary to provide the site and the features you ask for, so they don't need consent and can't be switched off in the preference panel. None are used for advertising.
| Name | What it does | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
topserver_session | Keeps forms secure (CSRF protection), remembers short-lived page state and keeps you signed in to the server owner area, Provider Portal or Command. | Until you close the browser, or up to 8 hours when signed in |
ts_consent_v1 | Remembers whether you allowed analytics. Shared with our free ARK tools so you're only asked once. | 12 months |
tsn_voter | A random ID so each browser gets one vote per server per day. Only a one-way hash of it is stored on our server. | 30 days |
Storage in your browser (not cookies)
| Name | What it does | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
topserver_display_currency | Remembers the currency you picked for showing prices. Never sent to us. | Until you clear it |
scout_consent_v1 | An older copy of your cookie choice, kept only as a fallback. | Until you clear it |
Google Analytics
If you click Allow Analytics, Google Tag Manager loads Google Analytics 4, which sets:
| Name | What it does | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
_ga | Tells Google Analytics visits from the same browser apart | Up to 2 years |
_ga_* | Keeps Google Analytics session state | Up to 2 years |
They help us understand overall use: page views, which providers, deals and tools are clicked, and how people move around the site. Nothing from Google loads until you allow it. If you choose Essential Only, or withdraw permission later, these cookies are removed.
Counts We Keep Ourselves
Our own server counts clicks on provider links, deals, adverts and server-list buttons, and how often adverts are shown. This uses no cookies, isn't linked to you, and works whatever you choose above. It lets us measure provider activity and report fairly to advertisers.
It also keeps a daily total of page views for this site and our free ARK tools: which page was opened and which website the visit came from (for example a search engine). Only the totals are stored. There is no cookie, no IP address and no visitor ID, so the count can't be traced back to you. In the same way we keep a daily total of how often the cookie banner is shown and how often each option is chosen.
Third-Party Pages And Checks
- Cloudflare Turnstile: where enabled, the spam check on forms and votes runs from Cloudflare, which may use its own technical storage to tell people from bots. It isn't used for advertising.
- Stripe: when you pay, you're taken to Stripe's checkout pages, which use Stripe's own cookies for payment security and fraud prevention. We don't load Stripe on our own pages.
- Hosting providers and game servers: sites you visit through our links set their own cookies under their own policies.
Advertising Stays Off
Our consent settings keep advertising storage, ad personalisation and ad user data denied. Sponsored placements and hosting adverts on TopServer.Network are chosen by placement, not by tracking you. If we ever introduce advertising cookies or remarketing, we'll update the consent controls and this policy first.
Change Your Preference
You can reopen the preference panel at any time. Choosing Essential Only doesn't stop comparisons, deals, guides, tools, the Server Lists or voting from working. You can also delete cookies in your browser settings, though that will sign you out and reset your choices.
More about how we handle data is in our Privacy Policy.