How SmokeVPN works

A plain-language overview - last updated 17 July 2026

This page explains, in plain terms, how the service is built and why it can be logless. We describe the shape of the system, not its street address - enough to judge our privacy claims, without publishing a map for anyone who would misuse it. Our guiding rule: hold as little about you as we technically can while running a service that stays reliable and resistant to abuse.

Logless by design

Your traffic never touches a hard drive. The data needed to move your packets lives in volatile memory only, and the system's operational logs run in a memory-backed journal that is scrubbed continuously - nothing about where you go is written to disk. We keep no traffic logs, no DNS query logs, and no per-connection record of your activity. For paid accounts we keep no bandwidth history at all.

The one honest exception

A free trial is the single place we count anything about usage: we keep one running total of bytes used, so we can stop the trial at its allowance. That number is a quantity only - never the sites, destinations, timestamps, or content behind it. It stops the moment you subscribe, and paid accounts are never metered. We would rather spell this out than pretend it doesn't exist.

Your IP address is not stored

We do not keep your real IP address. For abuse protection only, we hold a salted, irreversible hash of connecting addresses alongside simple counters. It cannot be turned back into your IP and is never linked to your activity.

Two independent systems

The part of SmokeVPN you log into - the website - and the network that actually carries your traffic are deliberately kept separate. The website knows only that an account exists and what it is entitled to; it does not carry your traffic and is built so it cannot see or change what you do on the network. The network moves your packets and holds no link to your identity beyond what it needs to route them. Because no single part sees both who you are and what you do, there is no complete picture to leak, subpoena, or steal.

Your own isolated network

Every account gets its own private slice of the network. Your devices reach the internet through our exits, but not another customer's devices, and no one else's devices can reach yours. One account is one small island.

How your traffic leaves

Your devices connect with WireGuard, a modern, fast, audited tunnel protocol. From our network your traffic leaves through exit servers we operate and partner with, in dozens of countries. You choose the exit per device - a specific country, a Random exit, automatic Timed rotation, or Tor - and changing it never drops your open connections. Every account also gets always-on SOCKS5 and HTTP proxies for apps that speak proxy directly; they route through the same exits and don't count toward your device limit.

Private, filtering DNS

We run our own recursive DNS resolver, and it does not log your queries. By default it blocks ads, trackers, malware and phishing; you can additionally block adult content, gambling, or social media per device, or turn filtering off entirely. That same resolver is what lets you route individual sites or networks out through a different exit.

Payment without identity

Payment is in cryptocurrency, handled by a payment provider. They tell us only that an order was paid - we never see your wallet, your card, or your name. There is no email, no password, and no personal detail tied to your account; your account number is your only credential.

No trackers, ever

Our website runs no third-party scripts, analytics, or advertising, and a strict content-security policy blocks them by design. Nothing here is watching you either.

Honest limits

We are logless as far as we technically can be while keeping the service dependable and abuse-resistant. The trial byte-total and the salted address hashes described above are the deliberate, minimal exceptions, and we would rather name them than hide them. We also cannot control everything: a website you visit can still try to profile you, and software on your own device can leak information no VPN can catch. Privacy is a shared effort - we do our part, and we tell you the truth about it.

Want the specifics of what we do and do not store? See our Privacy Policy and FAQ.