# 3.1.2 Friendly Captcha Setup

### 🛡️ Friendly Captcha Setup (ShieldsGuard)

#### 📖 Overview

ShieldsGuard allows full integration with **Friendly Captcha**, a modern, privacy-friendly CAPTCHA solution. Once integrated, Friendly Captcha can be used as a challenge mechanism within the **DDoS Protection** module to block automated threats without disrupting legitimate users.

> 🔐 Unlike traditional CAPTCHA methods, Friendly Captcha offers a user-friendly experience with high resilience against bots and headless browsers.

***

### 🧭 Step-by-Step Integration Guide

***

#### 1️⃣ Create a Friendly Captcha Account

1. Go to: <https://friendlycaptcha.com>
2. Register for an account (free or paid plan)

<figure><img src="/files/liirBNsz4XR1APDvZYKt" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

1. After login, navigate to the **Dashboard**
2. Click on **“Create New Application”**

<figure><img src="/files/AoAQduQV7gTRtWG84B1Q" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="/files/vh57EMmThyvFOaxEVZyw" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

1. Name your application and define the domain (e.g., `yourdomain.com`)
2. After creation, you’ll receive:
   * 🔐 **Secret Key**
   * 🌐 **Site Key**

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#### 2️⃣ Log into ShieldsGuard Panel

1. Open your ShieldsGuard admin panel
2. Navigate to:\
   **Protection > DDoS Protection**

***

#### 3️⃣ Open Friendly Captcha Configuration

Scroll to the **Friendly Captcha** section.

Click on the **🔴 Set Key** button:

<figure><img src="/files/ngce9AI4fzpZcYbKW1tD" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

This opens a modal titled **Edit Friendly Captcha Key**.

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#### 4️⃣ Enter Friendly Captcha Keys

In the popup window:

* Paste your **Secret Key** in the first field
* Paste your **Site Key** in the second field
* Choose your **Endpoint Region** from the dropdown (e.g., `EU Endpoint`, `US Endpoint`)
* Click **🔐 Save**

<figure><img src="/files/pwaABbZtx7PCXtsmbhDO" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

✅ Keys are now saved and the system is ready for use.

***

#### 5️⃣ Enable Friendly Captcha in DDoS Protection Mode

> ⚠️ Captcha setup is not complete until it’s activated under protection logic.

1. Go back to **Protection > DDoS Protection**
2. Under **DDoS Automatic Protection**, set:
   * **Status** = `Automatic Protection or Friendly Captcha`
   * **Protection Type** = `Friendly Captcha`
3. Configure your desired:
   * **Trigger Threshold** (requests/sec)
   * **Protection Duration**
   * **IP Limit Rules**
4. Save all changes

***

### 🧪 Testing the Integration

To test if Friendly Captcha is active:

* Simulate rapid browsing or bot-like behavior (multiple refreshes)
* You should be presented with a **Friendly Captcha challenge** instead of being blocked directly

This ensures human users are verified with minimal friction.

***

### 💡 Best Practices

| Area            | Tip                                                                         |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Privacy         | Friendly Captcha is GDPR-compliant and doesn't use tracking cookies         |
| Performance     | Lightweight and ideal for mobile and low-bandwidth environments             |
| Custom Domains  | Add both `domain.com` and `www.domain.com` to your Friendly Captcha project |
| Abuse Detection | Combine with IP Reputation and Request Rate in ShieldsGuard                 |

***

> 🎯 Friendly Captcha integration offers the perfect balance of strong bot defense and seamless user experience — especially valuable in public login portals, DDoS-prone environments, and signup forms.


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