The Complete Guide to Form Spam Protection

Spam is the bane of every form owner's existence. Here's how to fight back.

Honeypot Fields

The simplest and most effective technique. Add a hidden field that humans won't see but bots will fill out:

<input type="text" name="_gotcha" style="display:none">

If this field has any value, the submission is spam.

Rate Limiting

Limit how many submissions can come from a single IP address. Spike does this automatically.

Domain Restrictions

Only accept submissions from your own domain. Configure this in your form settings.

Content Filtering

Look for common spam patterns: - Too many links - Known spam keywords - Suspicious email domains

reCAPTCHA

For high-traffic forms, add Google reCAPTCHA as an extra layer of protection.

Best Practices

1. Always use honeypot fields 2. Set allowed domains in production 3. Monitor your submissions regularly 4. Use reCAPTCHA for public-facing forms