Donaldson R F Email Address Obfuscator
Protect an email address on a web page from simple spam-harvesting bots. Choose a method, copy the code and paste it into your page.
Which method should I use?
Web crawlers that collect addresses for spam mostly look for the pattern name@domain (or a mailto: link) in a page’s HTML. Each method changes what that HTML contains. Character codes and JavaScript methods keep a clickable link for visitors; [at] [dot] text and reversed text are safest against bots but the visitor has to retype or copy carefully. The Base64 and script methods need JavaScript, so include the <noscript> fallback that is provided.
No method is perfect. Determined harvesters run JavaScript, decode entities or read the rendered page, and an address that is public anywhere will eventually get spam. For the strongest protection use a contact form or a separate address that you can throw away, and keep a spam filter switched on. Obfuscation does not work inside emails themselves. To build the link with subject and message first, use the mailto link generator.
Frequently asked questions
Will this stop all spam?
No. It stops simple bots that only scan the HTML text. Use a contact form for real protection.
Does it hurt accessibility?
Character codes and JavaScript links work with screen readers. Reversed text and [at] text are harder to use; prefer the first two where you can.
Is my address uploaded?
No. The code is generated in your browser.