1. Introduction

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of the Ceres software applications, website, and related services (“Ceres”, “the Service”). Ceres is operated by CL&P Services Ltd, a company incorporated in England & Wales (company number: 14658893), trading as Ceres Labs (“we”, “us”, “our”).

By using Ceres, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use the Service.

Ceres is a software tool that automates the deployment and configuration of servers on third-party cloud providers chosen and controlled by you. Ceres is not a VPN provider, hosting provider, or communications service.

If you downloaded the App from the Apple App Store, your use of the App is also governed by the Apple Media Services Terms & Conditions and the Apple Standard End User License Agreement (EULA). In the event of a conflict between these Terms and the Apple EULA, the Apple EULA will apply solely to your licence to use the App, and these Terms will govern all other aspects of your use of the Service.

2. Description of the Service

Ceres enables you to deploy and configure private servers (“Droplets” or equivalent) on cloud platforms such as DigitalOcean. These servers run entirely inside your cloud account, under your control.

Ceres does not host, operate, manage, or have access to any servers you deploy. We cannot monitor, recover, view, or access:

• server contents,
• VPN keys,
• logs or traffic,
• cloud provider credentials.

You are solely responsible for all activity performed on any server created using Ceres.

3. Eligibility

You may use Ceres only if you have the legal capacity to enter into binding agreements in your jurisdiction. By using the Service, you represent that you meet this requirement.

4. User Responsibilities

By using Ceres, you agree that:

• You are the operator and data controller of all servers you deploy.
• You must comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
• You must comply with your cloud provider’s Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy.
• You will not use servers deployed via Ceres for unlawful, abusive, or harmful activity, including malware, spam, copyright infringement, or attempts to evade legal restrictions.
• Ceres has no visibility into your server activity and cannot prevent or detect misuse.
• We may suspend your access to the Service if we reasonably believe you are using it unlawfully.

5. Subscriptions, Billing & Cancellation

5.1 Subscriptions

Some features require a paid subscription. Pricing is shown in the app or on our website.

5.2 Billing

If purchased via the Apple App Store, billing is handled exclusively by Apple. Ceres Labs does not store payment details.

5.3 Auto‑Renewal

Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before renewal.

5.4 Cancellation

You may cancel any time through your Apple ID subscription settings.

5.5 Refunds

Refunds for App Store purchases are handled solely by Apple, in accordance with their policies.

5.6 Effect of Cancellation

Cancelling your subscription does not delete any servers you deployed. You remain responsible for cloud provider charges.

6. Software Licence

We grant you a limited, non-transferable, revocable licence to use Ceres for personal or business purposes, subject to these Terms. You may not reverse-engineer, decompile, or sublicense the software.

7. Data Protection & GDPR Positioning

Your use of Ceres is governed by our Privacy Policy: Privacy Policy.

Ceres does not store, process, or transmit any data contained on your deployed servers. We cannot see server contents, VPN usage, or cloud credentials.

Accordingly, you are the data controller for all data on any server you deploy. Ceres is not a data processor under UK GDPR or EU GDPR for server content.

We only process minimal personal data required for licensing, support, and optional communications.

8. Acceptable Use for the App

You agree not to misuse the app, interfere with the Service, attempt unauthorised access, or use Ceres to deploy infrastructure for harmful or illegal purposes.

9. Availability & Security

We do not guarantee that the Service or any server deployed through Ceres will be available, uninterrupted or error-free at all times. The Service depends on third-party cloud providers and internet infrastructure which may experience outages or disruptions beyond our control.

Ceres does not warrant that any server configured through the Service will be secure, free of vulnerabilities, or immune to cyberattacks. You are responsible for implementing your own security measures on your servers, monitoring for vulnerabilities, and applying updates or patches as needed.

10. Configuration Responsibility

Ceres automates server deployment according to the instructions and credentials you provide. You are solely responsible for ensuring that your configuration choices, firewall rules, credentials and environment variables are correct and appropriate. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from misconfiguration, improper security settings, or unauthorised changes made by you or any third party.

11. Cloud Billing, Third-Party Software, and Indemnity

Ceres is solely a provisioning tool. The User retains complete ownership and responsibility for their cloud provider account (e.g., DigitalOcean) and the servers deployed therein.

• **Cloud Billing Responsibility:** You are solely responsible for all charges, fees, usage costs, and overage charges incurred by your cloud provider account, whether resulting from a bug in the provisioning script, server misconfiguration, or user error. The Company is not liable for any costs associated with your cloud provider account.
• **Third-Party Software:** The servers deployed by Ceres utilize third-party, open-source software (e.g., WireGuard, wg-easy). The Company provides no warranty or guarantee regarding the security, functionality, or absence of vulnerabilities in this third-party software.
• **Indemnification:** You agree to indemnify and hold harmless CL&P Services Ltd from any and all claims, demands, liabilities, damages, or losses (including legal fees) arising from or related to any cloud billing issues, security breaches, or other claims occurring on your cloud provider account or the servers provisioned by you.

12. Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• Ceres is provided “as is”, without warranties of any kind.
• We do not guarantee uninterrupted, secure, or error-free operation.
• We are not responsible for the performance or availability of any cloud provider.
• We are not liable for misconfiguration, server downtime, loss of data, or any use of servers deployed through Ceres.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by UK law, CL&P Services Ltd shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including loss of data, profits, or service availability. Our total liability shall not exceed the total subscription fees paid in the preceding 12 months.

14. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to Ceres if you breach these Terms or if required by law. You remain responsible for any servers created using Ceres.

15. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Significant changes will be communicated through the app or website. Continued use constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

16. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England & Wales. Disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England & Wales.

17. Contact

CL&P Services Ltd (trading as Ceres Labs)
Email: (JavaScript required)
Website: https://cereslabs.org/