How to Implement Altcha CAPTCHA on Your HTML Website: A Privacy-First Alternative

Traditional CAPTCHA solutions often compromise user privacy by tracking visitors and requiring external dependencies. Altcha offers a revolutionary alternative - a privacy-first, self-hosted CAPTCHA that uses proof-of-work challenges instead of visual puzzles. In this comprehensive guide, we'll show you how to implement Altcha CAPTCHA on your HTML website.

What is Altcha CAPTCHA?

Altcha is a modern CAPTCHA alternative that prioritizes user privacy and provides a seamless experience. Unlike traditional solutions, Altcha:

No cookies or tracking - Fully GDPR compliant
Self-hosted - No external dependencies on Google or other services
Invisible verification - Users don't need to solve puzzles
Proof-of-work based - Uses computational challenges instead of visual recognition

Prerequisites

Before implementing Altcha, ensure you have:

Pro subscription - Altcha is available for Static Forms Pro users only
API key - Your Static Forms API key

Step 1: Configure Altcha in Your Account

First, set up Altcha in your Static Forms account:

Navigate to your CAPTCHA settings
Switch to the "Altcha" tab
Generate your Altcha keys
Configure difficulty and expiration settings
Save your site key for frontend integration

Step 2: Simple HTML Form

Create a basic HTML form with Altcha:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Contact Form with Altcha</title>
    
    <!-- Include Altcha Library -->
    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/altcha-org/altcha/dist/altcha.min.js" type="module"></script>
</head>
<body>
        <h1>Contact Us</h1>
    <form action="https://api.staticforms.xyz/submit" method="POST">
        <div>
            <label for="name">Name:</label>
                <input type="text" id="name" name="name" required>
            </div>

        <div>
            <label for="email">Email:</label>
                <input type="email" id="email" name="email" required>
            </div>

        <div>
            <label for="message">Message:</label>
            <textarea id="message" name="message" required></textarea>
            </div>

        <!-- Altcha Widget - Just add this one line! -->
        <altcha-widget 
            challengeurl="https://www.staticforms.xyz/api/altcha/challenge?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
            name="altchaToken">
        </altcha-widget>

        <input type="hidden" name="apiKey" value="YOUR_API_KEY_HERE">
        <button type="submit">Send Message</button>
        </form>
</body>
</html>

That's it! Just add the script tag and the <altcha-widget> element. The widget handles everything automatically - no JavaScript needed!

Step 3: Optional Styling

Add some basic CSS to make it look better:

<style>
    body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 20px; }
    div { margin: 15px 0; }
    label { display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; }
    input, textarea { width: 100%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 4px; }
    button { background: #007cba; color: white; padding: 10px 20px; border: none; border-radius: 4px; cursor: pointer; }
    button:hover { background: #005a87; }
</style>

Step 4: Common Options (Optional)

You can customize the widget with these simple options:

<!-- Hide the Altcha branding -->
<altcha-widget 
    challengeurl="https://www.staticforms.xyz/api/altcha/challenge?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
    name="altchaToken"
    hidefooter="true">
</altcha-widget>

<!-- Auto-verify when user focuses on form -->
<altcha-widget 
    challengeurl="https://www.staticforms.xyz/api/altcha/challenge?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
    name="altchaToken"
    auto="onfocus">
</altcha-widget>

Simple Color Customization

Change the widget colors to match your site:

altcha-widget {
    --altcha-color-border: #your-border-color;
    --altcha-color-border-focus: #your-focus-color;
}

That's It!

Your form now has Altcha CAPTCHA protection. The widget automatically:

✅ Loads and verifies challenges
✅ Handles all the complex cryptography
✅ Sends the token with your form
✅ Protects against spam and bots

Quick Troubleshooting

Widget not showing?

Make sure you included the script: <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/altcha-org/altcha/dist/altcha.min.js" type="module"></script>
Replace YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with your actual API key

Form not working?

Check you have a Pro subscription (Altcha requires Pro)
Verify Altcha is enabled in your account settings

Complete Working Example

Copy and paste this complete example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Contact Form with Altcha</title>
    
    <!-- Include Altcha -->
    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/altcha-org/altcha/dist/altcha.min.js" type="module"></script>
    
    <style>
        body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 20px; }
        div { margin: 15px 0; }
        label { display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; font-weight: bold; }
        input, textarea { width: 100%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 4px; box-sizing: border-box; }
        button { background: #007cba; color: white; padding: 12px 24px; border: none; border-radius: 4px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; }
        button:hover { background: #005a87; }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Contact Form</h1>
    
    <form action="https://api.staticforms.xyz/submit" method="POST">
        <div>
            <label for="name">Your Name:</label>
            <input type="text" id="name" name="name" required>
        </div>

        <div>
            <label for="email">Your Email:</label>
            <input type="email" id="email" name="email" required>
        </div>

        <div>
            <label for="message">Your Message:</label>
            <textarea id="message" name="message" rows="5" required></textarea>
        </div>

        <!-- Altcha CAPTCHA - Replace YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with your actual key -->
        <altcha-widget 
            challengeurl="https://www.staticforms.xyz/api/altcha/challenge?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
            name="altchaToken">
        </altcha-widget>

        <input type="hidden" name="apiKey" value="YOUR_API_KEY_HERE">
        
        <div>
            <button type="submit">Send Message</button>
            </div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>

Just replace YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with your actual API key and you're done!

Why Use Altcha?

✅ Privacy-first - No tracking or cookies
✅ User-friendly - No puzzles to solve
✅ GDPR compliant - Built-in privacy protection
✅ Easy to implement - Just 2 lines of code
✅ Works everywhere - Modern browsers only

Need Help?

Get a Pro subscription to use Altcha
Configure Altcha in your account settings
Read more form guides

Conclusion

Altcha is the easiest way to add privacy-focused CAPTCHA to your forms. Just include the script, add the widget, and you're protected from spam while respecting your users' privacy.

Ready to get started? Upgrade to Pro today!