# What is private web hosting, and what does it hide?

> What is private web hosting? It means no ID at signup and no customer logs, but WHOIS stays public. Velumhold: no KYC, paid in crypto, from $2.49/month.

- URL: https://velumhold.com/what-is-private-web-hosting/
- Last updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Velumhold (https://velumhold.com)

What “private” can and cannot mean for a web host: signup, logs, billing records, domains, payments and jurisdiction, with the limits stated plainly.

**Quick answer — What is private web hosting, and what does it hide?**

Private web hosting is hosting that asks no ID and keeps little about you. At **Velumhold** that means no KYC, an account number instead of a name, and payment in crypto, from $2.49 a month on 2 November 2026. It does not hide your domain’s public records or a payment on a public blockchain.

## What does private web hosting hide, and what does it not?

The right-hand column describes Velumhold. Other hosts differ, so read their pages.

| What | At Velumhold | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Your identity at signup | Not collected | No ID, selfie, documents, card or phone number |
| Dashboard connections | Not recorded | No connection records of the dashboard and no customer IP addresses |
| Your visitors’ IP addresses | Kept in your account | The web server keeps the access logs of your own sites, for you; you can switch them off |
| Billing records | Kept | Each top-up and order: amount, coin, network, transaction ID and date |
| Your domain’s registration data | Set by your registrar | Domains are not sold here |
| Your payment | Public on the blockchain; with Monero, sender and amount stay hidden | Bitcoin transactions are public and permanently stored |
| Your website | Public | Anyone can load a public site |

## What does “private” mean for a web host?

**Private hosting has three layers: what the host asks, what it keeps, and whose law it answers to.**

1. **At signup.** The host does not ask for ID. See [web hosting without KYC](https://velumhold.com/web-hosting-without-kyc/ "Can I get web hosting without ID verification?").
2. **After signup.** The host keeps as little about you as it can while running the service.
3. **When someone asks.** The host answers to its company’s law and to the law of the datacenter’s country.

Hosts differ on each layer. The word “private” on a homepage does not say which layers it covers.

## Who keeps the server logs of my website?

At Velumhold, you do. We keep no logs of who you are: no connection records of the dashboard and no IP addresses of customers. The web server keeps the access logs of your own sites in your account, for you, and you can switch them off.

Two sources show why that point matters. The Apache documentation says the server access log records all requests the server processes, and it can include the IP address of the client. Recital 30 of the GDPR lists IP addresses among the online identifiers that can be linked to a person.

So if you keep access logs, you hold data about your visitors. Decide what you need, keep it only as long as you need it, and switch the logs off if you do not need them.

## What does a host still have to keep for billing?

A host that takes payments needs records of them. We hold only what billing and running your account need: the account number and an email if you add one; every top-up and order (amount, coin, network, transaction ID, date); and per hosting account its plan, term, location, starting point, SSH public key if you gave one, and dates. No record leaves us without an order from a Panamanian court.

A transaction ID points to an entry on a public blockchain, so a billing record at the host matches a record anyone can read. A Monero entry shows neither sender nor amount, but the host's record still ties that payment to the account and its orders. One host in the survey, 1984 Hosting, says it keeps bookkeeping for 7 years.

## What do other hosts say they log?

According to Velumhold's survey of 2 November 2026, 4 of the 5 other hosts in this table say they log, or may log, IP addresses. These lines summarize their privacy pages, so read the pages before you decide.

| Host | What its privacy page says |
| --- | --- |
| Velumhold | No connection records of the dashboard and no customer IP addresses; the access logs of your own sites stay in your account |
| 1984 Hosting | Logs the IP address, time and duration of visits, plus browser and OS details, when a 1984 service is accessed; uses IPs to diagnose problems; keeps bookkeeping for 7 years |
| FlokiNET | Logs IP, time and duration of visits to its own services; in some cases network access logs may be kept at its discretion |
| IncogNET | May log IPs tied to new orders and sign-ups and standard web server access logs; says ordinary logging does not by itself identify a user |
| Packetra | Logs IP addresses and standard web server logs for security and fraud prevention; keeps billing records as the law requires |
| OrangeWebsite | Says it gathers only the minimum data and stores it encrypted, and releases no information to foreign authorities; no server-log retention statement found |

*Prices checked on November 2, 2026.*

## How does jurisdiction affect a private host?

Three legal systems can touch your site: the company’s, the datacenter’s and your own.

- **The company.** Velumhold belongs to DomaineGoat LLC, a company incorporated in Panama that answers to Panamanian law alone. Each datacenter that houses our servers is bound by the law of the country it sits in.
- **The datacenter.** Servers sit in Reykjavik (Iceland), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Bucharest (Romania): every plan in every location, at the same price. For the Reykjavik location, read [Iceland web hosting](https://velumhold.com/iceland-web-hosting/ "Is Iceland a good place to host a website?").
- **You and your visitors.** Check what your own country’s law says about what you publish. The [acceptable use policy](https://velumhold.com/acceptable-use/ "Acceptable Use Policy") lists what the host forbids.

How the company handles requests is explained in [how we work](https://velumhold.com/how-we-work/ "How does Velumhold web hosting work, from payment to a live site?").

## Does private hosting cover my domain name?

No. Domains are not sold here: point a domain you own to the account with two nameservers or an A record. Your registrar decides what its WHOIS or RDAP record shows.

ICANN’s guide for registrants says a domain owner must provide accurate information for directories such as WHOIS. Its Registration Data Policy, in force since 21 August 2025, requires registrars to redact personal data in public output where the law requires it. Since 28 January 2025, RDAP is the definitive source for generic top-level domain registration data, in place of WHOIS.

So choose a registrar with the same care as a host, and read what it publishes about you.

## Is paying in crypto private?

Less than people assume. bitcoin.org states that all Bitcoin transactions are public, traceable and permanently stored in the Bitcoin network. The host never learns your name from the payment, but your wallet’s history stays visible.

Monero is built differently: a public explorer shows neither the sender nor the amount of a Monero payment. Velumhold accepts it, and still keeps the usual billing record of the top-up, with its transaction ID.

It advises a new address for each incoming payment and separate wallets for different purposes. The [Bitcoin payment guide](https://velumhold.com/web-hosting-with-bitcoin/ "How do I pay for web hosting with Bitcoin?") shows where that fits.

## How can I check that a host is really private?

Five checks, all on public pages.

1. **Read the signup form** — List every field you must fill in. A name, address, phone number or ID upload means the host knows who you are.
2. **Read the payment page** — Find out who receives your coins: the host or a processor with its own rules.
3. **Read the privacy page** — Look for what is logged, for visitors and for customers, and for how long.
4. **Find the company and the datacenter** — Note which company owns the service and in which country the servers sit.
5. **Keep the domain apart** — Check what your registrar publishes in the registration record.

## Private web hosting: common questions

### Does private web hosting mean nobody can see my site?

No. A public site is public. Private hosting limits what the host asks and keeps about you, not who can load your pages.

### Does Velumhold keep logs of my visitors?

We keep no logs of who you are: no connection records of the dashboard and no IP addresses of customers. The web server keeps the access logs of your own sites in your account, for you, and you can switch them off.

### What does Velumhold know about me?

We hold only what billing and running your account need: the account number and an email if you add one; every top-up and order (amount, coin, network, transaction ID, date); and per hosting account its plan, term, location, starting point, SSH public key if you gave one, and dates. No record leaves us without an order from a Panamanian court.

### Is paying in crypto private?

Only up to a point. The host sees no name, but a Bitcoin or stablecoin transaction is public on the blockchain. Monero hides sender and amount from outsiders, though the host still links the payment to your account.

### Can I publish anything on private hosting?

No. Forbidden: spam or bulk email, phishing, malware or botnet command, DDoS or other attacks, scanning or brute-forcing other people’s systems, carding or fraud, child sexual abuse material, cryptocurrency mining, and any service to sanctioned people or companies.

**Host a site with no ID and no customer logs** Tulle, Chiffon and Velvet start at $2.49 a month on the yearly term. Account number, crypto, no KYC. [See the plans](https://velumhold.com/pricing/ "How much does Velumhold web hosting cost?")

## Sources

1. [Log Files: the access log](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/current/logs.html) — Apache HTTP Server Project (checked 2026-11-02)
2. [Recital 30: online identifiers for profiling and identification](https://gdpr-info.eu/recitals/no-30/) — General Data Protection Regulation (gdpr-info.eu) (checked 2026-11-02)
3. [Registrant Benefits and Responsibilities](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/benefits-2013-09-16-en) — ICANN (checked 2026-11-02)
4. [Registration Data Policy](https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/consensus-policies/registration-data-policy) — ICANN (checked 2026-11-02)
5. [ICANN Update: Launching RDAP; Sunsetting WHOIS](https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann-update-launching-rdap-sunsetting-whois-27-01-2025-en) — ICANN (checked 2026-11-02)
6. [Protect your privacy](https://bitcoin.org/en/protect-your-privacy) — Bitcoin.org (checked 2026-11-02)
7. [1984 Hosting: GDPR and privacy page](https://1984.hosting/GDPR/) — 1984 Hosting (checked 2026-11-02)
8. [FlokiNET: privacy policy](https://flokinet.is/privacy-policy) — FlokiNET (checked 2026-11-02)
9. [IncogNET: privacy policy (archived copy of 23 September 2026)](https://web.archive.org/web/20260923053024/https://incognet.io/privacy) — Internet Archive (checked 2026-11-02)
10. [Packetra: privacy policy](https://packetra.com/privacy) — Packetra (checked 2026-11-02)
11. [OrangeWebsite: privacy policy](https://orangewebsite.com/docs/privacy-policy.php) — OrangeWebsite (checked 2026-11-02)

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Velumhold: Velumhold is private web hosting for websites and WordPress, paid in crypto with no KYC: no ID, no selfie, no card. Each account comes with a control panel, NVMe storage, free SSL, email accounts and daily backups, in Reykjavik (Iceland), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Bucharest (Romania). It is run by DomaineGoat LLC, a company registered in Panama. On the yearly term, each plan is priced at least 25% under a named comparable plan from 3 no-KYC crypto hosts, read on 2 November 2026.