What is reCAPTCHA and Why Should You Care?
Google’s reCAPTCHA helps websites tell the difference between real people and bots, keeping your site safe from spam and fraud. It’s commonly used on login pages, registration forms, and comment sections to prevent automated attacks.
It’s a go-to security tool because it’s easy to use, super reliable, and works in the background without bothering your users too much. Whether it’s invisible or just a simple challenge, reCAPTCHA keeps things secure without making things harder for real visitors.
What’s Changing?
You’ll Need to Move Your reCAPTCHA Keys
Google is requiring all reCAPTCHA users to transfer their keys to a Google Cloud project. The change will roll out in phases, but you can move your keys manually before Google makes it mandatory.
There Might Be Costs Involved
One of the biggest changes is that reCAPTCHA may no longer be free. At the time of this article, Google hasn’t released full details on pricing yet, but it’s something to keep an eye on so you’re not caught off guard.
No Immediate Code Changes Needed
For now, your current reCAPTCHA setup will keep working as usual. But to keep things running smoothly and securely, it’s a good idea to update to Google’s latest API when it becomes available.
What Should You Do?
Plan Your Migration
If your website uses reCAPTCHA, make sure you move your keys to a Google Cloud project before the deadline. Doing this early will help you avoid any disruptions.
Prepare for Potential Costs
Since reCAPTCHA might not be free anymore, it’s a good idea to budget for possible costs. Keep an eye out for Google’s updates on pricing and see how it might impact your website.
Test and Update Your Setup
To avoid any hiccups, we recommend checking your website’s reCAPTCHA setup ahead of time. Make sure everything is compatible with Google’s latest updates so your site stays protected.
At The Image Stop Ltd. / PenguinHosting.ca, we’re keeping an eye on these changes and will share more details as they come. If you need a hand with migrating reCAPTCHA or updating your website’s security, don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re happy to help!
Are you currently a website and/or hosting client of The Image Stop ltd./PenguinHosting.ca?
What We Are Doing for You
We are working through our own internal processes to ensure that our clients are taken care of with these changes. If we designed your website, we still have access to the site dashboard, or we help with your updates and/or hosting we have you covered.
If your website and its updates are not managed by us, we encourage you to consider setting up your backups and updates soo. Please reach out and we can help you with this.
Costs?
With the new setup, Google is requiring that all reCaptcha use is monitored with limits put on to how many uses per month that reCaptcha will be free. As a result, if your form(s) use over 10,000 reCaptcha requests per month, a fee will be levied by Google. For this case, any billing setups required will be handled by us and, if needed, invoiced to our clients when they occur.