HTML form without a backend.

1. Create a static form backend

A static form backend is a hosted API that receives your form data and forwards it to email or integrations. Sign up for FormsFort (free, no credit card), create a form, and copy your public access key.

This key is safe to embed in HTML. It only works from domains you authorize.

2. Write the HTML form markup

Create a standard <form> element. Set the action to your form backend endpoint and method to POST. Add fields for name, email, and message.

<form action="https://api.formsfort.com/submit" method="POST">
  <input type="hidden" name="access_key" value="YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" />
  <label for="name">Name</label>
  <input type="text" id="name" name="name" required />

  <label for="email">Email</label>
  <input type="email" id="email" name="email" required />

  <label for="message">Message</label>
  <textarea id="message" name="message" rows="5" required></textarea>

  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

The access_key tells the backend which form inbox to deliver to. The required attribute enables browser-side validation before the form is even submitted.

3. Add spam protection with a honeypot

Spam bots fill out every field they see. Add a hidden checkbox that real users won't touch. If the backend receives a submission with this field checked, it rejects it automatically.

<input type="checkbox" name="botcheck" style="display:none" />

For stronger protection, enable rate limiting and optional captcha in your form backend dashboard. No code changes are needed on your site.

4. Deploy to any static host

Because there is no server-side code, you can deploy this HTML file to any host:

• GitHub Pages
• Netlify
• Vercel
• Cloudflare Pages
• AWS S3 + CloudFront
• Traditional shared hosting

Simply upload the file or push to your Git repository. The form works the moment the page is live.

5. Test the submission

Open the page in a browser, fill out the fields, and click submit. Check the inbox configured in your form backend dashboard. You should see the submission within seconds.

If something goes wrong, open the browser's Network tab to inspect the POST request and response. Most issues are due to a missing access key or an unauthorized domain.