CaptchaAI in Production: Configuration Management Guide

Hard-coded API keys and timeouts work for prototypes. Production needs environment-specific configuration, secrets management, and the ability to change settings without redeploying.

Configuration Hierarchy

Priority (highest → lowest):

1. Environment variables     ← deployment-specific overrides
2. Config file (YAML/JSON)   ← version-controlled defaults
3. Application defaults      ← fallback values in code

Complete Configuration Reference

Configuration Loader

Python

import os
import yaml
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from pathlib import Path


@dataclass
class CaptchaAIConfig:
    api_key: str = ""
    submit_url: str = "https://ocr.captchaai.com/in.php"
    poll_url: str = "https://ocr.captchaai.com/res.php"
    poll_interval: int = 5
    max_polls: int = 60
    concurrency: int = 10
    timeout: int = 300
    proxy: str = ""
    callback_url: str = ""
    retries: int = 3
    log_level: str = "info"

    @classmethod
    def load(cls, config_path=None):
        """Load config: env vars override file, which overrides defaults."""
        config = cls()

        # Layer 2: Config file
        if config_path and Path(config_path).exists():
            with open(config_path) as f:
                file_config = yaml.safe_load(f) or {}
            for key, value in file_config.items():
                if hasattr(config, key):
                    setattr(config, key, value)

        # Layer 1: Environment variables (highest priority)
        env_map = {
            "CAPTCHAAI_API_KEY": "api_key",
            "CAPTCHAAI_SUBMIT_URL": "submit_url",
            "CAPTCHAAI_POLL_URL": "poll_url",
            "CAPTCHAAI_POLL_INTERVAL": "poll_interval",
            "CAPTCHAAI_MAX_POLLS": "max_polls",
            "CAPTCHAAI_CONCURRENCY": "concurrency",
            "CAPTCHAAI_TIMEOUT": "timeout",
            "CAPTCHAAI_PROXY": "proxy",
            "CAPTCHAAI_CALLBACK_URL": "callback_url",
            "CAPTCHAAI_RETRIES": "retries",
            "CAPTCHAAI_LOG_LEVEL": "log_level",
        }

        for env_key, attr_name in env_map.items():
            value = os.environ.get(env_key)
            if value is not None:
                # Cast to correct type
                current = getattr(config, attr_name)
                if isinstance(current, int):
                    value = int(value)
                setattr(config, attr_name, value)

        config.validate()
        return config

    def validate(self):
        if not self.api_key:
            raise ValueError("CAPTCHAAI_API_KEY is required")
        if self.poll_interval < 1:
            raise ValueError("poll_interval must be >= 1")
        if self.concurrency < 1:
            raise ValueError("concurrency must be >= 1")


# Usage
config = CaptchaAIConfig.load("config/captchaai.yaml")
print(f"Concurrency: {config.concurrency}, Timeout: {config.timeout}s")

JavaScript

const fs = require("fs");
const yaml = require("js-yaml");
const path = require("path");

class CaptchaAIConfig {
  static defaults = {
    apiKey: "",
    submitUrl: "https://ocr.captchaai.com/in.php",
    pollUrl: "https://ocr.captchaai.com/res.php",
    pollInterval: 5,
    maxPolls: 60,
    concurrency: 10,
    timeout: 300,
    proxy: "",
    callbackUrl: "",
    retries: 3,
    logLevel: "info",
  };

  static envMap = {
    CAPTCHAAI_API_KEY: "apiKey",
    CAPTCHAAI_SUBMIT_URL: "submitUrl",
    CAPTCHAAI_POLL_URL: "pollUrl",
    CAPTCHAAI_POLL_INTERVAL: { key: "pollInterval", type: "int" },
    CAPTCHAAI_MAX_POLLS: { key: "maxPolls", type: "int" },
    CAPTCHAAI_CONCURRENCY: { key: "concurrency", type: "int" },
    CAPTCHAAI_TIMEOUT: { key: "timeout", type: "int" },
    CAPTCHAAI_PROXY: "proxy",
    CAPTCHAAI_CALLBACK_URL: "callbackUrl",
    CAPTCHAAI_RETRIES: { key: "retries", type: "int" },
    CAPTCHAAI_LOG_LEVEL: "logLevel",
  };

  static load(configPath = null) {
    let config = { ...CaptchaAIConfig.defaults };

    // Layer 2: Config file
    if (configPath && fs.existsSync(configPath)) {
      const ext = path.extname(configPath);
      const raw = fs.readFileSync(configPath, "utf8");
      const fileConfig = ext === ".json" ? JSON.parse(raw) : yaml.load(raw);
      config = { ...config, ...fileConfig };
    }

    // Layer 1: Environment variables
    for (const [envKey, mapping] of Object.entries(CaptchaAIConfig.envMap)) {
      const value = process.env[envKey];
      if (value !== undefined) {
        const attrKey = typeof mapping === "string" ? mapping : mapping.key;
        const type = typeof mapping === "string" ? "string" : mapping.type;
        config[attrKey] = type === "int" ? parseInt(value, 10) : value;
      }
    }

    CaptchaAIConfig.validate(config);
    return config;
  }

  static validate(config) {
    if (!config.apiKey) throw new Error("CAPTCHAAI_API_KEY is required");
    if (config.pollInterval < 1) throw new Error("pollInterval must be >= 1");
    if (config.concurrency < 1) throw new Error("concurrency must be >= 1");
  }
}

// Usage
const config = CaptchaAIConfig.load("config/captchaai.yaml");
console.log(`Concurrency: ${config.concurrency}, Timeout: ${config.timeout}s`);

Per-Environment Config Files

# config/captchaai.yaml — base
api_key: ""  # Always set via env var
concurrency: 5
poll_interval: 5
retries: 3
log_level: info

# config/captchaai.production.yaml
concurrency: 20
poll_interval: 3
timeout: 180
log_level: warning

# config/captchaai.staging.yaml
concurrency: 3
poll_interval: 5
timeout: 300
log_level: debug

Secrets Management

Never store API keys in config files or source control.

Docker Compose Example

services:
  captcha-worker:
    image: captcha-worker:latest
    environment:

      - CAPTCHAAI_API_KEY=${CAPTCHAAI_API_KEY}
      - CAPTCHAAI_CONCURRENCY=15
      - CAPTCHAAI_LOG_LEVEL=warning
    env_file:

      - .env.production

Feature Flags

Toggle capabilities without redeploying:

class FeatureFlags:
    def __init__(self):
        self.flags = {
            "use_callback": os.environ.get("FF_USE_CALLBACK", "false") == "true",
            "enable_proxy": os.environ.get("FF_ENABLE_PROXY", "true") == "true",
            "max_concurrent": int(os.environ.get("FF_MAX_CONCURRENT", "10")),
        }

    def is_enabled(self, flag):
        return self.flags.get(flag, False)

    def get(self, flag, default=None):
        return self.flags.get(flag, default)

Troubleshooting

FAQ

Should I use YAML or JSON for config files?

YAML for human-edited files (supports comments). JSON for machine-generated configs or when you want strict parsing.

How often should I rotate API keys?

Rotate immediately if compromised. Schedule rotation every 90 days for compliance. Use secrets managers that support automatic rotation.

Can I change concurrency without restarting?

Yes — read settings from environment variables or a config service on each task batch, not just at startup. This lets you adjust concurrency by updating the env var and sending a reload signal.

Related Articles

• Socks5 Proxy Captchaai Setup Configuration
• Captchaai Teams Multi User Api Key Management
• Captchaai Proxy Configuration Guide

Next Steps

Get your configuration production-ready — start with a CaptchaAI API key and build from the config templates above.

Related guides:

• API Key Security and IP Whitelisting
• Docker Containerized Solving
• Multi-Region Architecture