Node.js Spam Protection API
While you’re cobbling together rate limiters, honeypots, and unmaintained npm packages, spam bots are flooding your Express forms. ActiveLayer is a single REST API call that returns a spam verdict in milliseconds. No client-side JavaScript. No CAPTCHA widgets. No dependencies to maintain. Add it to any route handler and ship.
✓ Millisecond response times
✓ 99.5%+ accuracy
✓ Zero client-side dependencies
✓ 1,000 checks free every month
Built by Awesome Motive, whose software is trusted by 30,000,000+ websites worldwide.
No unmaintained packages. No CAPTCHA widget hacks. One API that works everywhere Node runs.
One POST request to `api.activelayer.ai/v1/check`. Standard JSON in, JSON out. Works with fetch, axios, or any HTTP client.
Wrap the API call in a middleware function. Apply it to any route, router, or your entire app with `app.use()`.
Spam verdicts return faster than your database queries. Your users never notice the check. Your API stays fast.
Every response includes a confidence score and detection signals. Log them, display them, or build custom logic around them.
Built for modern Node.js. A single `await fetch()` call fits naturally into your async route handlers. No callbacks. No complexity.
Fully typed API responses. Define your own interfaces or use the response schema directly. Zero runtime dependencies.
Works on Vercel, AWS Lambda, Cloudflare Workers, and any serverless platform. No persistent connections or background processes required.
If ActiveLayer is unreachable, your endpoint keeps working. Build a simple try/catch and submissions pass through. Your app never breaks.
One API key works across every Node.js app you build. No per-domain restrictions. No per-project licensing.
From signup to spam-free in under five minutes.
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Create a free ActiveLayer account. Copy your API key from the dashboard. No credit card required. No approval process. You’re ready to integrate immediately.
2
Drop the check into any Express route handler or middleware. One fetch call. One await. That’s it.
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Use the middleware on a single route, a router group, or your entire app. Every protected endpoint gets spam verdicts in milliseconds.
The spam protection that fits how you already build.
reCAPTCHA loads 300KB+ of JavaScript into your frontend, adds cookies, tracking scripts, and a widget that breaks React hydration and frustrates users. ActiveLayer is a server-side API call — nothing loads in the browser, nothing renders on screen, nothing touches your frontend bundle. Your forms stay fast and your users never know spam protection exists.
ActiveLayer returns spam verdicts in single-digit milliseconds — faster than most database reads — so your Express route handler barely notices the added latency. The API is a single POST endpoint that works with Node’s native fetch, axios, got, or any HTTP client you prefer. One await and you have your answer: confidence score, detection signals, and a clear spam/not-spam verdict.
ActiveLayer is a REST API — if your environment can make an HTTP request, it works. Express middleware, Fastify hooks, Koa middleware, Vercel serverless functions, AWS Lambda handlers, Cloudflare Workers: it doesn’t matter where your Node.js code runs. No framework-specific package that falls behind on updates, no SDK locked to an old Express version — just one HTTP call that works identically in every environment.
Your current spam protection is probably a rate limiter, a honeypot field, a regex blocklist from Stack Overflow, and reCAPTCHA as a last resort — four tools, four points of failure, four things to maintain. ActiveLayer replaces all of them with a single API call that analyzes content, email patterns, IP reputation, and behavioral signals together. One check, one verdict, one line item on your dependency list — backed by a maintained, production-grade API that keeps pace with modern bots.
Common questions about using ActiveLayer with Node.js and Express.js.
ActiveLayer is a REST API. You don’t need a dedicated package. Use Node’s built-in fetch (Node 18+), axios, got, or any HTTP client. One POST request is all it takes. No SDK to install, maintain, or update.
Both work. Middleware is ideal when you want to protect multiple routes with `app.use()` or `router.use()`. Inline route handler calls work when you need custom logic per endpoint. The API call is the same either way.
ActiveLayer returns verdicts in single-digit milliseconds. For most applications, the added latency is imperceptible. It’s typically faster than a database read. The async/await pattern ensures your event loop stays unblocked.
Yes. The API returns standard JSON with a consistent schema. You can define a TypeScript interface for the response or use the schema from the API docs to generate types. No runtime dependencies required.
Yes. ActiveLayer is a stateless REST API. Each request is independent. No persistent connections, no warm-up requirements, no background processes. It works identically in serverless and traditional server environments.
Wrap your API call in a try/catch. If the request fails or times out, let the submission through. Your app never breaks because of spam protection. You can also set a custom timeout (e.g., 3 seconds) using AbortController.
Yes. ActiveLayer works with Fastify, Koa, Hapi, NestJS, Next.js API routes, and any Node.js framework or runtime that can make HTTP requests. The integration pattern is the same everywhere: one POST request.
Yes. 1,000 spam checks in total. No credit card required. Full API access with no feature restrictions. When you need more, upgrade to Pro at $19/month for 25,000 checks.