Who we are
Kiln is run by 1994 Limited. We are the controller of the personal data described here. Contact us about privacy at [email protected].
When Kiln handles personal data that belongs to your own sites, for example inside an environment file, we do so as your processor under our terms of service, and you remain its controller.
What we collect and why
| What | Details | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your account | Name, email address, password (stored only as a hash), two-factor secret and recovery codes (encrypted), team memberships and invitations. | To run your account and keep it secure. |
| Connected accounts | Forge and DigitalOcean API tokens (encrypted), and the Forge organizations you allow Kiln to use. | To carry out the migrations you ask for. |
| Migrations | Details of your servers and sites read from Forge and DigitalOcean: names, IP addresses, domains, versions, deploy scripts, nginx and PHP settings, scheduled jobs and firewall rules. Each site’s new .env file and database password (encrypted), kept only until they are on the new server. Also the migration log and the settings you choose. | To plan, run and show you each migration, and to let you undo steps such as moving cron jobs. |
| Purchases | Credits bought, amounts, dates and the reference Stripe gives each payment. Stripe holds your billing details; we never see your card. | To add credits to your team and keep accounting records. |
| Technical data | IP address, browser and device details, and the pages and actions in requests to Kiln, kept in server logs. | To keep Kiln secure and working, and to investigate problems. |
| Messages | Emails you send us and our replies. | To answer you. |
We do not copy your databases or uploaded files: Kiln asks your new server to pull them directly from your old one. Our security page explains how this works.
Our legal bases
- Contract: to provide your account, run your migrations and sell you credits.
- Legitimate interests: to keep Kiln secure, prevent abuse, fix problems and improve the service, and to email you about features that affect servers you use with Kiln. You can object at any time.
- Legal obligation: to keep financial records and respond to lawful requests.
Emails
We send emails you need: verifying your address, security alerts, invitations, and updates about your migrations, such as telling you when your DNS is ready. We do not send marketing emails unless you opt in, and every marketing email has an unsubscribe link.
Who we share it with
We do not sell personal data. We share it only with providers who help us run Kiln, under contracts that require them to protect it:
| Provider | What they do |
|---|---|
| Laravel Cloud (Laravel Holdings Inc.), running on Amazon Web Services | Hosts Kiln, its database and logs |
| Resend | Sends account, security and migration emails |
| Stripe, through its Link merchant of record service | Sells credits as merchant of record, takes payment and handles tax |
Stripe is the seller of your credits, so it is a separate controller of your billing information; see its privacy notice. When you migrate, Kiln sends requests to Laravel Forge and DigitalOcean with your tokens, on your instructions; they process that data under your agreements with them.
We may also disclose data if the law requires it, to protect our rights or users, or to a buyer if Kiln is sold, who would have to honour this policy.
International transfers
Some of our providers process data outside the UK, including in the United States. Where they do, we rely on UK adequacy regulations, including the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, or the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses.
How long we keep it
- Account, team and migration records: while your account is open. Delete your account from Account security and they are deleted straight away, along with every team only you belong to.
- A site’s .env file and database password: deleted as soon as they have been applied to the new server, or when the migration finishes or is abandoned.
- Connected-account tokens: until you disconnect them or close your account.
- Purchase records: six years, for tax and accounting.
- Server logs: up to 30 days, unless needed to investigate a security incident.
- Demo accounts: deleted after a day.
Cookies
Kiln uses only cookies that it needs to work: a session cookie to keep you signed in, a security token that protects forms (XSRF-TOKEN), and, if you tick “Remember me”, a cookie that keeps you signed in for longer. We do not use advertising or analytics cookies. When you buy credits, Stripe’s checkout may set its own cookies for payment and fraud prevention.
Security
Two-factor authentication is required on every account, tokens and copied environment files are encrypted at rest with AES-256, and access to servers during a migration is narrow and temporary. Read more on our security page.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you can ask to access, correct or delete your personal data, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to receive a copy in a portable format. Email [email protected] and we will reply within one month.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.
Changes to this policy
We will update this page when what we collect or how we use it changes, and email account owners about significant changes.