Documentation

Quick Start Basic Setup API Reference Spam Protection Advanced Features Framework Examples Troubleshooting FAQ

Spam Protection

Keep unwanted submissions out of your inbox

Overview

Static Forms supports two types of spam protection:

reCAPTCHA

Google's popular CAPTCHA service. Free and widely trusted.

✅ Industry standard
✅ Multiple versions (v2, v3)
⚠️ Requires Google account

ALTCHA

NEW

Privacy-first CAPTCHA alternative. No tracking or external dependencies.

✅ Privacy-focused
✅ No external accounts needed
✅ Better user experience

ALTCHA Setup

Recommended

ALTCHA is a privacy-first, self-hosted CAPTCHA alternative that doesn't require any external accounts or API keys.

Step 1: Enable ALTCHA in Dashboard

Go to your CAPTCHA settings
Enable ALTCHA protection
Save your settings

Step 2: Add ALTCHA to Your Form

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <script type="module" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/altcha/dist/altcha.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
  <form action="https://api.staticforms.xyz/submit" method="POST">
    <input type="hidden" name="apiKey" value="YOUR_API_KEY" />
    
    <!-- Your form fields -->
    <input type="text" name="name" required />
    <input type="email" name="email" required />
    <textarea name="message" required></textarea>
    
    <!-- ALTCHA Widget -->
    <altcha-widget
      challengeurl="https://api.staticforms.xyz/api/altcha/challenge"
      hidefooter="true"
    ></altcha-widget>
    
    <button type="submit">Send</button>
  </form>
</body>
</html>

💡 Learn More: Check out our detailed guides on implementing ALTCHA:

• ALTCHA for HTML Websites
• ALTCHA for Next.js

reCAPTCHA Setup

Google reCAPTCHA is a widely-used CAPTCHA service that protects your forms from automated spam.

Step 1: Get reCAPTCHA Keys

Visit Google reCAPTCHA Admin
Register your site and get your Site Key and Secret Key
Choose reCAPTCHA v2 (Checkbox) or v3 (Invisible)

Step 2: Configure in Dashboard

Go to your reCAPTCHA settings
Enter your Site Key and Secret Key
Enable reCAPTCHA verification
Save your settings

Step 3: Add reCAPTCHA to Your Form

For reCAPTCHA v2:

<script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js" async defer></script>

<form action="https://api.staticforms.xyz/submit" method="POST">
  <input type="hidden" name="apiKey" value="YOUR_API_KEY" />
  
  <!-- Your form fields -->
  <input type="text" name="name" required />
  <input type="email" name="email" required />
  <textarea name="message" required></textarea>
  
  <!-- reCAPTCHA Widget -->
  <div class="g-recaptcha" data-sitekey="YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY"></div>
  
  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

Read the complete reCAPTCHA guide →

Which Should You Choose?

Feature	ALTCHA	reCAPTCHA
Setup Difficulty	Easy	Moderate
External Account Required	No	Yes (Google)
Privacy	Excellent	Good
User Experience	Smooth	Can be intrusive
Effectiveness	Excellent	Excellent

🎯 Recommendation: We recommend ALTCHA for most use cases due to its ease of setup, privacy benefits, and excellent user experience.