# Domain Availability Check (`appreciative_lobster-owner/domain-availability-check`) Actor

Check exact root domains with registry RDAP records and authoritative current registrability evidence.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/appreciative\_lobster-owner/domain-availability-check.md
- **Developed by:** [Chris Prosser](https://apify.com/appreciative_lobster-owner) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, SEO tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per usage

This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-usage

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Domain Availability Check

Check exact root domains using two separate evidence sources:

- registry RDAP for the current registration-record state;
- a real-time, authoritative registry check through Cloudflare Registrar for
  current registrability and price.

This separation prevents common false claims. Missing DNS does not mean a
domain is available. A missing registration record does not by itself prove
that a registrar can register the name. Provider failures and unsupported
extensions remain explicit `UNKNOWN` results.

### Input

```json
{
  "domains": ["example.com", "example.co.uk"]
}
```

The Actor accepts 1–20 ASCII or punycode exact root domains. It rejects URLs,
paths, ports, subdomains, private hosting suffixes, extra fields, provider
selectors, and user-supplied credentials. Inputs are normalized to lowercase
and deduplicated.

`example.com` is the free system canary used by Apify's daily test. It always
produces a dataset row and is never charged.

### Output

Each result includes:

- `registrationRecordState`: `REGISTERED`, `NO_REGISTRATION_RECORD`, or
  `UNKNOWN`;
- `registrabilityState`: `REGISTRABLE`, `NOT_REGISTRABLE`, or `UNKNOWN`;
- separate evidence methods and a typed Registrar reason;
- `tier` and decimal-string `pricing` only when registrable;
- `evidenceAt`, uncertainty codes, canary status, and PPE eligibility.

Prices and states represent only the instant in `evidenceAt`. They do not
reserve a domain or lock a price. Always check again immediately before a
purchase.

Premium domains and extensions unsupported by the programmatic API stay
`UNKNOWN`; they are not mislabeled as globally unavailable. Evidence conflicts
also become non-billable `UNKNOWN` results and trigger an operational alert.

### Charging

The current source works under FREE pricing and contains the future PPE path.
When PPE is separately approved, only one `authoritative-domain-check` event is
eligible per non-canary result with both axes determined. UNKNOWN, backend
failure, charge-limit diagnostic, and system-canary rows are never charged.

The Actor checks the user's maximum spend before requesting evidence. Domains
outside the remaining limit receive a non-billable diagnostic and no hidden or
unpaid authoritative result.

### Privacy and limits

The output contains only the submitted domain and availability evidence. It
does not return WHOIS contacts, raw RDAP, raw Registrar responses, cookies,
credentials, stack traces, or registration links. Maximum batch size is 20;
the expected run timeout is five minutes with 512 MB memory.

This `0.2.0` source is bound at build time to its own isolated backend at
`https://domain-availability-api.vennvenn.workers.dev`; the origin cannot be
changed by input or environment, and the backend accepts only this Actor's
own consumer key.

# Actor input Schema

## `domains` (type: `array`):

One to twenty exact root domains. URLs, paths, ports, private suffixes, subdomains, and user-selected providers are rejected.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "domains": [
    "example.com"
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing domain evidence and non-billable diagnostics.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

Counts, completion state, charging mode, canary count, and charge-limit diagnostics for the run.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "domains": [
        "example.com"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("appreciative_lobster-owner/domain-availability-check").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "domains": ["example.com"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("appreciative_lobster-owner/domain-availability-check").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "domains": [
    "example.com"
  ]
}' |
apify call appreciative_lobster-owner/domain-availability-check --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,appreciative_lobster-owner/domain-availability-check"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/5DMCB8fgzAb6sxJDa/builds/25KXWpgcAO1YeIZo4/openapi.json