Cookie Policy
A complete inventory of every cookie this site sets, what each one does, how long it lives, and how to turn it off.
Last updated: 1 September 2026.
1. What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small text file your browser stores on your device when you visit a website. Cookies let the website recognise your browser between page loads or between visits. "Similar technologies" includes browser local storage, session storage, IndexedDB, pixels, and SDKs. This policy covers all of them under the umbrella term "cookies".
2. Categories of cookies we use
2.1 Strictly necessary (no consent required)
These cookies are required for the Site to work. They cannot be turned off.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
.AspNetCore.Antiforgery.* | Mangobaz | Cross-site request forgery protection on form submissions | Session |
mb_admin | Mangobaz | Authenticates the admin user; only set after a successful login at /admin/login | 8 hours |
mb_consent | Mangobaz | Stores your cookie-consent preferences (accept / reject) | 12 months |
2.2 Analytics (consent required in some jurisdictions)
These cookies help us understand how visitors use the Site so we can write better tutorials.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
mb_vid | Mangobaz (first-party) | Random visitor identifier for visit counting and dwell-time measurement | 13 months |
We do not use Google Analytics, Matomo, Mixpanel, Plausible, or any other third-party analytics product.
2.3 Advertising (consent required everywhere)
If you accept advertising cookies, Google AdSense and its demand partners may set cookies to deliver personalised (or non-personalised) ads and to measure ad performance. We do not place ads on every page; ads appear only on the body of long-form articles and never on legal/trust pages.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
__Secure-1PAPISID, __Secure-3PSID | Personalised ads | 13 months | |
_GREC | CAPTCHA / fraud prevention | Up to 13 months | |
IDE | doubleclick.net (Google) | Ad measurement and personalisation | 13 months |
Google's full advertising cookie list: policies.google.com/technologies/ads.
3. How long cookies last
Cookie lifetimes are listed in the tables above. "Session" means the cookie is deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies live until they expire or you delete them.
4. How to control cookies
4.1 On this Site
When you first visit, the cookie banner offers Accept or Reject. You can revisit your choice at any time by clicking the "Cookie settings" link in the footer.
4.2 In your browser
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings:
- Chrome:
chrome://settings/cookies - Firefox:
Preferences → Privacy & Security → Cookies - Safari:
Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data - Edge:
Settings → Cookies and site permissions
Note: blocking strictly-necessary cookies will break parts of the Site (the contact form, the admin login).
4.3 Ad-choice for Google AdSense & Third-Party Vendors
Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to users based on their visit to this site and other sites on the Internet.
If you accept advertising cookies but later want to opt out of personalised ads from Google, visit Google Ads Settings. You may also opt out of third-party advertising cookies at www.aboutads.info or reopen your preference below via Cookie settings.
5. Do Not Track / Global Privacy Control
Our Site honours browser "Do Not Track" (DNT) and the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal. If your browser sends DNT or GPC, we will not set non-essential cookies, and advertising (when enabled) will be non-personalised only.
6. International requirements
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the GDPR / PECR require us to obtain your opt-in consent for non-essential cookies. If you are in California, the CCPA gives you the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for advertising purposes. The cookie banner addresses both.
7. Updates to this policy
We may update this policy when our cookie usage changes. Material changes are highlighted at the top of this page for at least 30 days.
8. Contact
Questions about cookies? Email privacy@mangobaz.com.