Definition

A captcha is a verification challenge shown to new Telegram group members — such as tapping a button or solving a puzzle — to prove they are human before they can post.

Spam bots can't complete the challenge, so they never get to send messages; members who don't verify within a time limit are removed automatically. This single filter blocks the vast majority of automated spam.

A good captcha takes a real person only a couple of seconds and triggers just once on join, so it barely affects genuine members while stopping bots cold. It's the first layer of any solid moderation setup.