Can VPS providers log user activity even when HTTPS is used?

Questions
1

I’ve recently seen a discussion about privacy when using a self-hosted proxy on a VPS.

One person argued that VPS providers may still collect connection logs and metadata, even if the traffic is encrypted.

Another argued that HTTPS prevents providers from reading the traffic, and that using multiple proxy hops or Tor can significantly improve anonymity.

I’d like to understand the technical details:

  1. What information can a VPS provider observe or log when a user connects through a self-hosted proxy and visits HTTPS websites?

  2. Does HTTPS prevent providers from collecting connection metadata such as IP addresses, timestamps, and traffic patterns?

  3. How much does using multiple VPS hops improve privacy? What are the limitations?

  4. Does renting a VPS without identity verification meaningfully improve anonymity if payment records and connection logs may still exist?

I’m particularly interested in the differences between transport encryption, privacy, and anonymity, and how the threat model affects these distinctions.

I’d appreciate technical explanations or references. Thanks!

2

Yes they can as it’s at a lower layer than HTTPS operates on layer 7 of the OSI model, whereas a firewall or connection log occurs at Layer 3 (Network Layer) and Layer 4 (Transport Layer).

This is something the user has to do, not the server provider. an IP is still logged it’s just not as meaningful. If the VPS is owned and run by the user connecting to it, then VPN/Tor doesn’t provide anything meaningful as looking into the VM at the data would reveal its the same person probably.

3

Yes, buddy the VPS Providers can log and observe certain meta data and activities