captcha
A captcha library that generates audio and image CAPTCHAs.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need simple, self-hosted CAPTCHA generation without external service dependencies. The low install friction, permissive license, and broad Python version support make it straightforward to adopt. However, the aging maintenance status (last release over a year ago) and beta classification suggest evaluating whether the feature set meets your needs before committing to production use. No known vulnerabilities.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Pillow as a runtime dependency; audio generation requires voice data files and image generation requires font files (built-in data available but custom data recommended).
- Low friction install with a single runtime dependency (Pillow).
- The package is aging but actively maintained; the repository shows recent commits and no archived status, though the last release was over a year ago.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-3-Clause (permissive) — Licensed under BSD-3-Clause, a permissive license that allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—suitable for most production deployments.
last release 2025-03-01 (531 days) · last repo commit 2025-10-21 · 1,098 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 392,931 downloads/mo, #7,003 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install captcha
from captcha.audio import AudioCaptcha
from captcha.image import ImageCaptcha
audio = AudioCaptcha(voicedir='/path/to/voices')
image = ImageCaptcha(fonts=['/path/A.ttf', '/path/B.ttf'])
data = audio.generate('1234')
audio.write('1234', 'out.wav')
data = image.generate('1234')
image.write('1234', 'out.png')- Whether built-in voice and font data are sufficient for production use or if custom data is mandatory.
- Current performance characteristics and scalability limits for high-volume CAPTCHA generation.
- Whether the package supports modern CAPTCHA variants (e.g., reCAPTCHA integration) or only standalone generation.
What it is and what it does
Captcha is a library for generating audio and image CAPTCHAs—challenge-response tests used to verify that a user is human rather than a bot. It provides two separate modules: one for audio CAPTCHAs and one for image CAPTCHAs, each accepting a string to encode and outputting either a WAV file or PNG image. The library depends only on Pillow for image handling and supports Python 3.8 through 3.13.
The package is designed for developers building web applications or other systems that need human verification. It allows you to generate CAPTCHA data in memory or write it directly to files, and supports customization through your own voice and font data, though built-in data is available. The library has been in development since 2014 and remains in beta status; it is permissively licensed under BSD-3-Clause.
Use it for
- Generate image CAPTCHAs for web form submission to prevent automated bot attacks.
- Create audio CAPTCHAs for accessibility compliance when image-based verification alone is insufficient.
- Build a custom bot-detection layer by embedding CAPTCHA generation into a web service or API.
- Integrate standalone CAPTCHA generation into a security workflow without relying on third-party services.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need simple, self-hosted CAPTCHA generation without external service dependencies.
The low install friction, permissive license, and broad Python version support make it straightforward to adopt. However, the aging maintenance status (last release over a year ago) and beta classification suggest evaluating whether the feature set meets your needs before committing to production use. No known vulnerabilities.
Install
captcha on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with a single runtime dependency (Pillow). The package is aging but actively maintained; the repository shows recent commits and no archived status, though the last release was over a year ago.
Requires Pillow as a runtime dependency; audio generation requires voice data files and image generation requires font files (built-in data available but custom data recommended).
License in practice
Licensed under BSD-3-Clause, a permissive license that allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—suitable for most production deployments.
Quickstart
pip install captcha
from captcha.audio import AudioCaptcha
from captcha.image import ImageCaptcha
audio = AudioCaptcha(voicedir='/path/to/voices')
image = ImageCaptcha(fonts=['/path/A.ttf', '/path/B.ttf'])
data = audio.generate('1234')
audio.write('1234', 'out.wav')
data = image.generate('1234')
image.write('1234', 'out.png')Verify before relying
- Whether built-in voice and font data are sufficient for production use or if custom data is mandatory.
- Current performance characteristics and scalability limits for high-volume CAPTCHA generation.
- Whether the package supports modern CAPTCHA variants (e.g., reCAPTCHA integration) or only standalone generation.
Package facts
| License | BSD-3-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagePillow |
| Maintenance | Aging 531 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 392,931 / month, #7,003 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaEnvironment :: ConsoleEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonTopic :: Security |
Evidence: captcha-0.7.1-py3-none-any.whl
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Install only if maintaining existing code that already depends on it, and plan a migration.
See also django-simple-captcha · anticaptchaofficial · voxcpm · 2captcha-python · fish-audio-sdk · ddddocr · recognizer · elevenlabs · pyttsx3 · Resemblyzer