Keeping your websites spam free.

I’ve been programming for around 20 years now, can you believe it? That means I must have started while in middle school — and I did. We had computer labs that I had an unlimited hall pass to use, where I learned to make video games, program computers, and build websites.

One thing the internet wasn’t full of in those first days was spam. Sure, there was some, but it wasn’t as prolific as it is today. Today millions of web-bots are running on hacked computers or computers in foreign countries with the intention of creating spam.

Now there is an entire industry dedicating to stopping spam. It’s impossible to create a new website or new project without thinking about how to keep spam off your website.

There are several ways to keep spam off a website, including:

• CAPTCHA: This is a tool that requires users to complete a challenge, such as identifying a series of letters or solving a simple math problem, before submitting a form or creating an account. This can prevent automated spam bots from accessing the site. Google’s ReCAPTCHA is the most popular form of captcha.
• Akismet: This is a spam filtering service that can be integrated into a website to automatically identify and block spam comments.
• Comment moderation: Manually reviewing and approving comments before they are posted can also help keep spam off the site.

• Defendium: This is another convenient anti-spam API that helps prevent spam on websites by providing a convenient API that you can submit content to and receive a spam score back from. It also has some of the lowest pricing in the industry.
• IP blocking: Blocking IP addresses of known spammers can also be effective in preventing them from accessing the site.
• Using a security plugin: Wordpress has several security plugin such as iThemes Security, Wordfence etc which can help prevent spam and hacking attempts
• Using form validation: Form validation on client side can help prevent bots from submitting fake data.
• Using Email validation: Email validation on server side can help prevent fake email address being used to submit spam.
• Blacklisting certain words and phrases: Some spam filters allow you to blacklist certain words and phrases that spammers often use.

It is important to note that spam prevention is an ongoing process, and it is possible that spam will still get through even with these measures in place. It is recommended to regularly review and update your spam prevention methods to ensure they remain effective.

Why does spam exist?

Spam exists chiefly as a way for individuals or organizations to make money. Spammers send large volumes of unwanted messages in the hopes that a small percentage of recipients will respond to their offers or click on their links, which can lead to financial gain through advertising, phishing scams, or the sale of goods or services, often unlicensed brand knockoffs or other bad goods.

One of the main reason is that sending spam is relatively inexpensive and easy to do, and the potential financial rewards can be significant. Additionally, the anonymity of the internet can make it difficult for authorities to track and punish spammers. Even a tiny percent of people clicking on spam can result in profits.

Another reason spam exist is that it is an easy way for hackers to distribute malware, conduct password phishing attempts, and do other malicious activities, by sending spam emails with malicious links or attachments which when clicked, can install malware or steal personal information. They could use this malware to steal credit card information, for example.

Overall, spam exists because it can be an effective and profitable way for spammers to reach a large audience, and because the technology to send spam is widely available and relatively easy to use.

Stopping the bad guys who create spam is important to maintaining a good experience on your website. If your comment section is filled with bad links, people are not going to trust your website and/or want to buy from you.

I hope you are able to keep your websites spam-free using one of these APIs mentioned here.

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Ryan Kopf is a computer programmer who has been programming since middle school. He also blogs about travelling around the world, especially Japan, as well as programming in Ruby on Rails.