Google reCAPTCHA offers robust protection for websites against automated bots that may attempt to submit forms and cause misuse. By implementing Google reCAPTCHA, you can ensure your website remains secure and prevents spam submissions. This tutorial will guide you through the process of obtaining your API key and integrating reCAPTCHA into your site.
Step 1: Create a Google Account
To use Google reCAPTCHA, you need to have a Google account. Visit the Google account sign-up page and either create a new account or use an existing one.
Step 2: Navigate to the Google reCAPTCHA Website
Once logged into your Google account, go to the Google reCAPTCHA homepage to start the registration process.
Step 3: Register Your Website
On the reCAPTCHA page, click on the “Admin Console” button located at the top-right corner to begin the registration process.
Step 4: Create a New Site Registration
Click the “+” button in the top-right corner of the reCAPTCHA admin console to add your website.
Step 5: Enter Your Website Details
Provide a label for your site (such as a descriptive name) and specify the domains where reCAPTCHA will be used. If you’re testing locally, add `localhost` as a domain. Choose between two reCAPTCHA versions:
- reCAPTCHA v2: The traditional “I’m not a robot” checkbox
- reCAPTCHA v3: Invisible reCAPTCHA, running in the background
Step 6: Agree to the Terms of Service
Be sure to read and accept the Google reCAPTCHA Terms of Service before continuing.
Step 7: Get Your API Keys
After registration, you’ll receive two keys: a Site Key (public) and a Secret Key (private). These are necessary for integrating reCAPTCHA into your site.
Step 8: Add reCAPTCHA to Your Site
Now that you have your keys, integrate reCAPTCHA into your site by placing the Site Key in the HTML code of the page where you want the widget to appear, such as in the contact or login form.
For reCAPTCHA v2:
<div class="g-recaptcha" data-sitekey="YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY"></div>
For reCAPTCHA v3:
<script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js?render=YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY"></script>
Replace YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY with the key you received in Step 7.
Step 9: Verify the reCAPTCHA Response
To prevent bot submissions, you must verify the response from reCAPTCHA. Send the response data to Google’s server using your Secret Key and confirm its validity.
Example using PHP:
$recaptcha_secret = 'YOUR_SECRET_KEY';
$recaptcha_response = $_POST['g-recaptcha-response'];
$verify_url = 'https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/siteverify';
$response = file_get_contents($verify_url . '?secret=' . $recaptcha_secret . '&response=' . $recaptcha_response);
$response_keys = json_decode($response, true);
if(intval($response_keys["success"]) !== 1) {
echo 'Please complete the CAPTCHA';
} else {
echo 'CAPTCHA verified successfully';
}
Conclusion
You’ve now successfully integrated Google reCAPTCHA into your site! This will help protect your website from automated bots and reduce spam, enhancing both security and user experience.
Further Reading
For more details on Google reCAPTCHA, check out the following resources:
