Integrating Google reCAPTCHA in WordPress Plugin
Posted on 16th June 2023
When you’re building a WordPress plugin, you might want to consider adding Google reCAPTCHA to it. reCAPTCHA is a free service that protects your website from spam and abuse.
Adding reCAPTCHA to your plugin is a great way to keep your plugin users safe from spammy content and abuse. It’s also a good way to show your users that you care about their safety and security.
In this article, we’ll show you how to add Google reCAPTCHA to a WordPress plugin. We’ll also show you how to verify if a user is human before they can submit a form on your plugin.
What is Google reCAPTCHA?
Google reCAPTCHA is a free service that protects your website from spam and abuse. reCAPTCHA uses an advanced risk analysis engine and adaptive CAPTCHAs to keep automated software from engaging in abusive activities on your site.
When you add reCAPTCHA to your plugin, you’ll be asked to register your plugin with Google. After you register, you’ll be given a Site Key and a Secret Key.
The Site Key is used to display the CAPTCHA on your plugin’s forms. The Secret Key is used to verify that the user’s response to the CAPTCHA is correct.
How to Add Google reCAPTCHA to a WordPress Plugin
Adding Google reCAPTCHA to your WordPress plugin is a two-step process. First, you’ll need to register your plugin with Google. After you register, you’ll be given a Site Key and a Secret Key.
Next, you’ll need to add the Site Key and Secret Key to your plugin. We recommend adding them to your plugin’s settings page. That way, your users will be able to find them easily.
Once you’ve added the Site Key and Secret Key to your plugin, you’ll need to add the reCAPTCHA code to your plugin’s forms. We recommend adding the code to your plugin’s default form template.
That way, all of your plugin’s forms will automatically include the reCAPTCHA code. If you want to add the code to only certain forms, you can do that as well.
Once you’ve added the reCAPTCHA code to your plugin’s forms, you’re ready to start using Google reCAPTCHA.
How to Verify if a User is Human
After a user submits a form on your plugin, you’ll need to verify that they’re human. To do that, you’ll need to send a request to Google’s reCAPTCHA server.
The request will include the user’s IP address, the reCAPTCHA challenge, and the user’s response to the challenge. Google will then verify that the user is human and return a response.
If the user is human, the response will include a success message. If the user is not human, the response will include an error message.
You can use the following code to verify if a user is human:
$ip_address = $_SERVER[‘REMOTE_ADDR’];
$recaptcha_challenge = $_POST[‘recaptcha_challenge_field’];
$recaptcha_response = $_POST[‘recaptcha_response_field’];
$private_key = “YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY”;
$url = “http://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/verify”;
$data = array(
‘privatekey’ => $private_key,
‘challenge’ => $recaptcha_challenge,
‘response’ => $recaptcha_response,
‘remoteip’ => $ip_address
);
$curl = curl_init();
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
$response = curl_exec($curl);
curl_close($curl);
list($success, $error) = explode(“n”, $response);
if ($success == “true”) {
// The user is human!
} else {
// The user is not human!
}
?>
If the user is human, the code will return a success message. If the user is not human, the code will return an error message.
You can then use the success or error message to decide what to do next. For example, you could display a different form if the user is not human.
Conclusion
In this article, we showed you how to add Google reCAPTCHA to a WordPress plugin. We also showed you how to verify if a user is human before they can submit a form on your plugin.
Adding reCAPTCHA to your plugin is a great way to keep your plugin users safe from spammy content and abuse. It’s also a good way to show your users that you care about their safety and security.
Do you have any questions about how to add Google reCAPTCHA to a WordPress plugin? Let us know in the comments section below!
Assuming that you have completed all the steps mentioned in the previous article, you should now have a working Google reCAPTCHA in your WordPress plugin. In this article, we will discuss some tips on how to get the most out of your reCAPTCHA integration.
1. Use the reCAPTCHA widget
The reCAPTCHA widget is a simple way to add the reCAPTCHA challenge to your plugin. It is available as a WordPress plugin and can be easily installed and activated. Once activated, the widget will automatically add the reCAPTCHA challenge to your plugin.
2. Use the reCAPTCHA shortcode
If you don’t want to use the widget, you can also use the reCAPTCHA shortcode. Simply add the [recaptcha] shortcode to any post or page where you want the reCAPTCHA challenge to appear.
3. Use the reCAPTCHA API
If you want to have more control over the reCAPTCHA challenge, you can use the reCAPTCHA API. The API allows you to customize the look and feel of the challenge, as well as the behavior.
4. Use the reCAPTCHA plugin settings
The reCAPTCHA plugin settings page allows you to configure the plugin to your needs. From the settings page, you can change the language of the challenge, the theme of the widget, and the size of the widget.
5. Use the reCAPTCHA JavaScript API
The reCAPTCHA JavaScript API allows you to customize the behavior of the reCAPTCHA widget. For example, you can use the API to hide the widget when the user is not logged in.
6. Use the reCAPTCHA CSS API
The reCAPTCHA CSS API allows you to customize the look and feel of the widget. For example, you can use the API to change the color of the widget.
7. Use the reCAPTCHA PHP API
The reCAPTCHA PHP API allows you to programmatically generate the reCAPTCHA challenge. For example, you can use the API to create a custom form that includes the reCAPTCHA challenge.
8. Use the reCAPTCHA WordPress Plugin
The reCAPTCHA WordPress Plugin is a simple way to add the reCAPTCHA challenge to your WordPress site. The plugin is available for free and can be easily installed and activated. Once activated, the plugin will automatically add the reCAPTCHA challenge to your WordPress site.
9. Use the reCAPTCHA shortcode
If you don’t want to use the plugin, you can also use the reCAPTCHA shortcode. Simply add the [recaptcha] shortcode to any post or page where you want the reCAPTCHA challenge to appear.
10. Use the reCAPTCHA API
If you want to have more control over the reCAPTCHA challenge, you can use the reCAPTCHA API. The API allows you to customize the look and feel of the challenge, as well as the behavior.
