CookieRay
Self-hosted vs SaaS cookie consent on WordPress
Cookie consent tools for WordPress generally take one of two approaches. This page explains how CookieRay’s self-hosted approach works so you can decide which fits your site. It describes CookieRay only — check any other vendor’s own documentation for what they offer.
What “self-hosted” means in CookieRay
- Everything runs in your WordPress install. The banner, script blocking, scanner, inventory and consent logs are part of the plugin. There is no external dashboard to operate the site.
- Your database holds the records. Consent logs, the cookie inventory and scan results are stored in your own tables. CookieRay does not send usage data, telemetry or visitor payloads to servers it operates.
- The scanner is same-site. It fetches your own site’s public URLs through the WordPress HTTP API; nothing is sent to a third-party scanner.
- Visitor identifiers are hashed. Logs hold a hashed fingerprint rather than a raw IP address.
- No pageview metering. CookieRay does not count your pageviews.
What that means for you
| Topic | Self-hosted (CookieRay) |
|---|---|
| Where consent logs live | Your WordPress database — you control backups and retention |
| Who operates the service | You (your host and WordPress), not a vendor dashboard |
| Updates | Plugin updates, like any WordPress plugin |
| Caching | The banner initializes from front-end scripts; verify behavior with your cache setup |
| Data leaving your site | Only what the third-party tags you install send, per their own settings |
Trade-offs to weigh
- You are responsible for your own backups, retention settings and host availability.
- CookieRay is not a legal-document generator and does not include IAB TCF support. If your ad stack needs TCF, CookieRay is not the right fit today.
- Multisite networks are not supported in this release.
- Compliance depends on your configuration, third-party tools and regions — the Dashboard score is guidance, not certification.
Who it suits
Single-site WordPress owners, agencies managing separate WordPress installs, and developers who want consent data to stay in their own stack and who don’t need TCF. If you are unsure, install the free plugin and run the Quick Start.