Cookies

Last updated: 2026-05-17. Companion to the privacy notice.

Cookies we set

None. stackharden.com does not set any cookies of its own. We do not use cookies for sessions, preferences, authentication, or tracking. The site is static HTML served from a CDN, with no per-visitor server-side state.

Cookies our CDN may set

Our hosting / CDN provider (named in the processor list of the privacy notice) may set strictly-necessary security cookies in specific cases. The typical example is after a CAPTCHA challenge on a request the CDN classified as suspicious — a cookie is set to record that the challenge has been completed, so the same visitor is not challenged repeatedly on subsequent requests.

These cookies:

• are not analytics cookies;
• are not used for advertising or profiling;
• are not shared with any third party beyond the CDN;
• are required for the security check to function.

Under the ePrivacy Directive (and equivalent national rules) these cookies fall within the strictly-necessary exception and do not require consent.

Cookies from analytics

We use Plausible Analytics for aggregate pageview metrics. Plausible sets no cookies. It identifies unique visitors by a server-side hashed fingerprint of the visitor’s IP and User-Agent combined with a salt that rotates every 24 hours — nothing is written to the visitor’s browser, and the fingerprint cannot be used to track visitors across days.

Because Plausible sets no cookies and the privacy notice’s analytics section explains how it processes data, no consent prompt is required under GDPR or ePrivacy.

If we ever add a tool that does set cookies, we will update this page and present a clear consent prompt before any non-essential cookie is set. No pre-ticked boxes.

Cookies from affiliate links

Clicking an affiliate link in one of our articles may cause the destination site (the affiliate’s site, not ours) to set cookies. We do not control those cookies and you should review the privacy / cookie notice of the destination site for detail.

We do not set any tracking cookie of our own when you click an affiliate link.

Managing cookies in your browser

Modern browsers let you view and delete cookies in their settings:

• Firefox — Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data.
• Chrome / Edge — Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data.
• Safari — Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data.

Blocking all cookies will not break stackharden.com (we set none); it may cause the CDN’s security challenges to repeat more often.

Changes to this notice