# CAPTCHA

A CAPTCHA is a challenge a website serves when it is not sure a visitor is human: an image puzzle, a checkbox backed by risk analysis, or an invisible JavaScript proof of work. Through a proxy, frequent CAPTCHAs point at a low-reputation exit (hosting ranges, overused pool addresses), at a request rate above the site's comfort, or at a client fingerprint that reads as automation. Changing the exit type, slowing down and keeping sessions consistent reduce them more than solving them does.


## Reading the signal

| Pattern | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CAPTCHA on the very first request | Exit type or reputation | Move from datacenter to residential or mobile; check the ASN |
| CAPTCHA after N requests from one exit | Rate limit per IP | Rotate per connection or lower the per-IP rate |
| CAPTCHA regardless of exit | Fingerprint or behaviour | Fix the client: real browser profile, pacing, cookies |
| CAPTCHA mid-checkout | IP changed during the flow | Use a sticky session for the whole flow |


## Retrying

On a rotating pool a retry is a different visitor: for collection jobs, retry once on a challenge before escalating. For account flows, do not retry across exits; keep the session and solve the challenge in a real browser.


## How it works at ProxShift

ProxShift charges only for bytes that cross the gateway, so a retried request costs the size of the challenge page and nothing more; per-IP limits are yours to set since the gateway imposes none.

Source: https://proxshift.com/glossary/captcha