Bypass Captchas

TL;DR

Captchas are annoying! This guide shows you ways to reduce or avoid them when automating tasks or using websites regularly. We’ll cover browser extensions, captcha solving services, and tips for avoiding them altogether.

1. Understand Why Captchas Appear

Websites use captchas (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) to prevent bots from abusing their systems – things like spamming forms, creating fake accounts, or scraping data. They try to distinguish between a real person and automated software.

2. Browser Extensions

Several browser extensions can automatically solve captchas for you. Be cautious when choosing these; read reviews and check permissions before installing. Some popular options include:

• Buster: Aims to bypass many common captcha types.
• Captcha Solver (various): Many exist, often specific to certain captcha providers like hCaptcha or reCAPTCHA.

Important Note: Using extensions might violate a website’s terms of service. Use responsibly.

3. Captcha Solving Services

These services employ real people (or sophisticated AI) to solve captchas on your behalf. You send the captcha image/details to the service, and they return the solution. This usually requires an API key and payment per solved captcha.

• 2Captcha: A popular choice with a relatively low cost.
• Anti-Captcha: Another well-established provider offering various captcha types.

Here’s a basic example using 2Captcha with Python (you’ll need to install the requests library):

import requests

API_KEY = 'YOUR_2CAPTCHA_API_KEY'
SITE_KEY = 'WEBSITE_SITE_KEY' # Find this on the website's captcha page
PAGE_URL = 'https://www.example.com/captcha-page'

# Step 1: Get the challenge (usually a JavaScript variable)
url = f'{PAGE_URL}?sitekey={SITE_KEY}'
response = requests.get(url)
challenge = response.text # Extract the challenge from the HTML source code

# Step 2: Send to 2Captcha for solving
captcha_url = 'http://2captcha.com/in.php'
data = {
    'key': API_KEY,
    'method': 'userrecaptcha',
    'googlekey': SITE_KEY,
    'pageurl': PAGE_URL,
    'json': 1
}
response = requests.post(captcha_url, data=data)
result = response.json()

# Step 3: Check the result and get the solution
if result['status'] == 1:
    captcha_id = result['request']
    # Poll for the solution (wait until it's solved)
    import time
    time.sleep(20) # Wait a bit before checking
    url = f'http://2captcha.com/res.php?key={API_KEY}&action=get&id={captcha_id}'
    response = requests.get(url)
    result = response.json()
    if result['status'] == 1:
        solution = result['request']
        print(f'Captcha solution: {solution}')
    else:
        print('Failed to get captcha solution.')
else:
    print('Failed to send captcha request.')

Note: Replace YOUR_2CAPTCHA_API_KEY and WEBSITE_SITE_KEY with your actual values. You’ll need to register on the 2Captcha website to get an API key.

4. Avoiding Captchas Altogether

1. Use a consistent IP address: Websites often present captchas to new or frequently changing IPs.
2. Maintain cookies: Cookies help websites recognize returning users, reducing the need for frequent verification. Ensure your automation tool handles cookies correctly.
3. Slow down requests: Rapid-fire requests are a red flag for bots. Introduce delays between requests to mimic human behavior.
4. Use a realistic user agent: Set a user agent string that resembles a common web browser.
5. Login when possible: Logging into an account often bypasses captchas.

5. Consider the Website’s Terms of Service

Before using any captcha-bypassing techniques, carefully review the website’s terms of service. Some websites explicitly prohibit automated access and may ban your IP address or account if you violate their rules.