These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the website, services, and applications (collectively, the “Service”) provided by LinearBytes Inc. (“Hashnode,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) at hashnode.com and associated subdomains.

By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the Service.

These Terms supersede and replace all prior versions of any terms of service or terms of use previously published by Hashnode or LinearBytes Inc.

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to use the Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you are at least 13 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. If you are under 18, you represent that your parent or legal guardian has reviewed and agreed to these Terms on your behalf.

2. Account Registration

To use certain features of the Service, you must create an account. You may register using an email address (via magic link) or through a supported third-party authentication provider (Google, GitHub, LinkedIn, or Apple).

You agree to:

• Provide accurate and complete information when creating your account.
• Maintain the security of your account credentials.
• Notify us promptly if you suspect any unauthorized use of your account.
• Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account if any information provided is inaccurate, incomplete, or fraudulent.

3. The Service

Hashnode is a blogging platform for developers and engineering teams. The Service includes, but is not limited to:

• Blogging — creating, publishing, and managing blog posts.
• Publications — creating and managing blogs with custom branding and team collaboration.
• Newsletters — managing and sending email newsletters to subscribers.
• Custom Domains — connecting your own domain to your Hashnode publication.
• Hashnode Subdomains — each publication receives a free subdomain (e.g., yourname.hashnode.dev) by default.
• AI-Powered Editor Features — AI tools within the editor to help refine your drafts, powered by third-party AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google).
• Blog Analytics — viewing traffic and engagement data for your publication.
• Headless CMS — using the Hashnode API to build and host your own blog interface.

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time, with or without notice.

4. User Content

4.1 Ownership

You retain full ownership of all content you create, publish, or share through the Service (“User Content”). Hashnode does not claim ownership of your User Content.

4.2 License to Hashnode

By posting User Content on the Service, you grant Hashnode a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, display, distribute, and reproduce your User Content solely for the purpose of operating and providing the Service. This license continues until you remove your User Content or delete your account, at which point the license will terminate, except to the extent that the content has been shared with others and they have not deleted it, or as reasonably necessary for Hashnode to fulfill its legal obligations.

4.3 Responsibility for User Content

You are solely responsible for your User Content. You represent and warrant that:

• You own or have the necessary rights and permissions to post your User Content.
• Your User Content does not infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other rights of any third party.
• Your User Content complies with these Terms, including the Acceptable Use Policy (Section 6).

4.4 Content Removal

You may remove your User Content from the Service at any time. We may also remove or disable access to User Content that we believe, in our sole discretion, violates these Terms.

5. Custom Domains and Subdomains

5.1 Hashnode Subdomains

By default, each publication is assigned a free subdomain under hashnode.dev. Your use of the subdomain is subject to these Terms, and we reserve the right to reclaim or reassign subdomains at our discretion.

5.2 Custom Domains

You may connect a custom domain to your publication. You are solely responsible for the registration, renewal, configuration, and maintenance of your custom domain. Hashnode is not responsible for any issues related to your custom domain, including but not limited to domain expiration, DNS misconfiguration, or third-party domain disputes.

6. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree not to use the Service to:

• Violate any law or regulation, including but not limited to laws regarding intellectual property, privacy, and data protection.
• Post or distribute spam, including unsolicited promotional content, bulk messages, or automated content generation for the purpose of manipulating search results or engagement metrics.
• Harass, threaten, or intimidate any person, or promote violence, discrimination, or hatred against individuals or groups.
• Post hate speech or content that promotes racism, bigotry, or intolerance.
• Post illegal content, including content that promotes or facilitates illegal activities.
• Distribute malware, viruses, or malicious code, or engage in any activity that compromises the security or integrity of the Service or its users.
• Infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, including posting content without proper authorization or attribution.
• Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely represent your affiliation with any person or entity.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, other users’ accounts, or any systems or networks connected to the Service.
• Scrape, crawl, or use automated means to access the Service in a manner that exceeds reasonable use or violates these Terms.
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or the servers and networks used to provide the Service.
• Use the Service for any purpose that is fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading.

We reserve the right to investigate and take appropriate action against anyone who violates these Terms, including removing content, suspending or terminating accounts, and reporting violations to law enforcement.

7. AI-Powered Features

The Service includes AI-powered features within the editor that help you refine your drafts. These features are powered by third-party AI providers (currently OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google). By using AI features:

• You acknowledge that your content will be sent to these third-party providers for processing.
• You understand that AI-generated suggestions are provided as-is and may not always be accurate, appropriate, or complete.
• You are solely responsible for reviewing, editing, and approving any AI-generated content before publishing.
• Hashnode is not liable for any errors, inaccuracies, or issues arising from AI-generated content.

8. API Terms

8.1 API Access

Hashnode provides a GraphQL API that allows you to access your publication data and build custom blog interfaces. Your use of the API is subject to these Terms.

8.2 Permitted Use

You may use the API to:

• Retrieve your publication data, including blog posts, pages, and metadata.
• Build and host your own blog interface using your publication data.
• Integrate Hashnode content into your own applications and websites.

8.3 Restrictions

You agree not to:

• Use the API in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Service.
• Attempt to circumvent any rate limits or access restrictions imposed on the API.
• Use the API to collect or harvest data from publications you do not own or have authorization to access.
• Redistribute or resell access to the API.

8.4 Rate Limiting

We reserve the right to impose rate limits and usage restrictions on the API at any time. We may throttle or suspend your API access if we determine that your usage is excessive or disruptive.

8.5 Changes to the API

We reserve the right to modify, deprecate, or discontinue the API or any part of it at any time, with or without notice.

9. Newsletters

If you use the Service to manage and send newsletters:

• You are responsible for obtaining proper consent from your subscribers before adding them to your mailing list.
• You must comply with all applicable email marketing laws, including the CAN-SPAM Act and GDPR.
• You must provide subscribers with a clear and easy way to unsubscribe.
• You may not use the newsletter feature to send spam, phishing emails, or any other unsolicited or deceptive communications.

10. Payment and Paid Plans

We may offer paid plans or features in the future. If you subscribe to a paid plan:

• Payment will be processed through our third-party payment processor (Stripe).
• You agree to provide accurate and complete billing information.
• Subscription fees and billing terms will be communicated at the time of purchase.
• Refund policies will be specified at the time of purchase.

We reserve the right to modify pricing at any time, with reasonable notice to existing subscribers.

11. Copyright and DMCA Policy

We respect the intellectual property rights of others and expect our users to do the same.

11.1 Reporting Copyright Infringement

If you believe that any User Content on the Service infringes your copyright, you may submit a DMCA takedown notice to our designated agent with the following information:

1. A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a person authorized to act on their behalf.
2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
3. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material (such as the URL).
4. Your contact information, including your name, address, telephone number, and email address.
5. A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
6. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate, and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

11.2 DMCA Agent

DMCA takedown notices should be sent to:

LinearBytes Inc.
8 The Green, Ste 300, Dover, DE 19901
Email: hello@hashnode.com

11.3 Counter-Notification

If you believe that your User Content was removed by mistake or misidentification, you may submit a counter-notification with the following information:

1. Your physical or electronic signature.
2. Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled, and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or disabled.
3. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification.
4. Your name, address, telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal court in your district (or the District of Delaware if you are outside the United States), and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original DMCA notification.

11.4 Repeat Infringers

We reserve the right to terminate the accounts of users who are determined to be repeat infringers.

12. Account Termination and Suspension

12.1 Termination by You

You may delete your account at any time through your account settings. Upon account deletion, your content will be removed from public view, and your account data will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

12.2 Termination by Hashnode

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account, at our sole discretion and without prior notice, for any reason, including but not limited to:

• Violation of these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy.
• Posting spam or engaging in abusive behavior.
• Posting illegal content or engaging in illegal activity.
• Extended period of inactivity.
• Any conduct that we determine, in our sole discretion, is harmful to the Service, other users, or third parties.

12.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to access and use the Service will immediately cease. We are not liable to you or any third party for any termination of your access to the Service.

13. Intellectual Property

13.1 Hashnode’s Intellectual Property

The Service, including its original content (excluding User Content), features, functionality, design, and trademarks, is and will remain the exclusive property of LinearBytes Inc. and its licensors. The Service is protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws of the United States and foreign countries.

13.2 Feedback

If you provide us with any feedback, suggestions, or ideas regarding the Service, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide license to use, modify, and incorporate such feedback for any purpose without obligation to you.

14. Disclaimers

The Service is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis, without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and title.

We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components. We do not warrant the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any content on the Service, including AI-generated content.

Your use of the Service is at your sole risk.

15. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall LinearBytes Inc., its directors, officers, employees, agents, partners, or licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from:

• Your access to or use of (or inability to access or use) the Service.
• Any conduct or content of any third party on the Service.
• Any User Content obtained from the Service.
• Unauthorized access, use, or alteration of your transmissions or content.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, our total liability to you for all claims arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts you have paid to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless LinearBytes Inc. and its directors, officers, employees, agents, and licensors from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from:

• Your use of the Service.
• Your User Content.
• Your violation of these Terms.
• Your violation of any third-party rights, including intellectual property and privacy rights.
• Your violation of any applicable law or regulation.

17. Dispute Resolution

17.1 Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

17.2 Binding Arbitration

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) in accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall take place in the State of California. The arbitrator’s decision shall be final and binding, and judgment on the award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.

17.3 Opt-Out

You may opt out of the arbitration provision by sending written notice to hello@hashnode.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. Your notice must include your name, username, email address, and a clear statement that you wish to opt out of arbitration. If you opt out, disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in the State of California.

17.4 Class Action Waiver

You and Hashnode agree that any proceedings to resolve disputes will be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class, consolidated, or representative action. If for any reason a claim proceeds in court rather than in arbitration, both you and Hashnode waive the right to a jury trial.

17.5 Small Claims Court

Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may bring an individual action in small claims court for disputes within the court’s jurisdictional limits.

18. General Provisions

18.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Hashnode regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

18.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

18.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be considered a waiver of those rights.

18.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations under these Terms without restriction.

18.5 Modifications

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated Terms on the Service and updating the “Last Updated” date. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

19. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

LinearBytes Inc.
8 The Green, Ste 300, Dover, DE 19901
Email: hello@hashnode.com