Email Validator API - Verify, Disposable Check, MX

Email Validator API is an Apify Actor that checks whether an email address is valid. It runs a format test, a disposable domain lookup against 400+ throwaway domains, a role-based prefix check, an MX record lookup and an SMTP mailbox probe, then returns a 0 to 100 confidence score and flags free providers. Validate one address or up to 50 per request with no API key, or call it as a real time HTTP API in Standby mode.

Validate any email address in real-time: format check, MX record verification, SMTP mailbox probe, disposable/temporary email detection (400+ domains), free provider identification, and role-based address flagging. No API key required.

How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
                    │            Email Validator API               │
                    └──────────────────┬──────────────────────────┘
                                       │
                    ┌──────────────────▼──────────────────────────┐
                    │  Step 1: FORMAT CHECK (+20 pts)              │
                    │  RFC 5321 regex validation                   │
                    │  ✗ Invalid → stop, return error              │
                    └──────────────────┬──────────────────────────┘
                                       │ ✓ Valid
                    ┌──────────────────▼──────────────────────────┐
                    │  Step 2: DISPOSABLE CHECK (-50 pts)          │
                    │  400+ temp/throwaway domains                 │
                    │  mailinator, guerrillamail, tempmail...      │
                    └──────────────────┬──────────────────────────┘
                                       │
                    ┌──────────────────▼──────────────────────────┐
                    │  Step 3: ROLE-BASED CHECK (-10 pts)          │
                    │  32 common role prefixes                     │
                    │  admin@, support@, noreply@, info@...        │
                    └──────────────────┬──────────────────────────┘
                                       │
                    ┌──────────────────▼──────────────────────────┐
                    │  Step 4: MX RECORD LOOKUP (+40 pts)          │
                    │  DNS query for mail exchange servers          │
                    │  Returns up to 5 MX records sorted by        │
                    │  priority                                    │
                    └──────────────────┬──────────────────────────┘
                                       │ MX found
                    ┌──────────────────▼──────────────────────────┐
                    │  Step 5: SMTP VERIFICATION (+40 pts)         │
                    │  Direct TCP connection to mail server         │
                    │  EHLO → MAIL FROM → RCPT TO                  │
                    │  250=valid, 550=invalid, 252=catch-all        │
                    └──────────────────┬──────────────────────────┘
                                       │
                    ┌──────────────────▼──────────────────────────┐
                    │  FINAL SCORE (0-100)                         │
                    │  valid = score ≥ 60 AND format ✓             │
                    │         AND MX found AND not disposable      │
                    └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Features

• 5-layer validation pipeline — Format → Disposable → Role → MX → SMTP
• SMTP mailbox probe — asks the mail server on port 25. Many providers refuse that from cloud servers, and then valid is null (unknown) and the email is not charged
• 400+ disposable domains — Detects temp/throwaway emails (mailinator, guerrillamail, tempmail, etc.)
• 30+ free providers — Flags Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, ProtonMail, etc.
• 32 role-based prefixes — Detects admin@, support@, noreply@, info@, etc.
• MX record lookup — Returns actual mail exchange servers with priority
• Confidence score — 0-100 point system with clear pass/fail threshold
• Bulk validation — Up to 50 emails per request
• Instant API — Real-time HTTP endpoint via Standby mode (<2s response)
• Zero dependencies — Uses only Node.js built-in modules (dns, net, http)

Use Cases

• Email list cleaning — Remove invalid/disposable addresses before sending campaigns
• Lead validation — Verify prospect emails before adding to CRM
• Signup fraud prevention — Block disposable emails at registration
• Deliverability optimization — Improve sender reputation by removing bad addresses
• B2B lead scoring — Flag free providers vs business domains
• Compliance — Ensure email collection meets data quality standards

Input

Field	Type	Description
email	String	Single email to validate (e.g., user@gmail.com)
emails	Array	Multiple emails to validate (max 50)
mode	String	validate (default), disposable (domain only check), bulk

Example Input

{
  "email": "hello@stripe.com"
}

Output

Full Validation Response

{
  "email": "hello@stripe.com",
  "valid": true,
  "status": "valid",
  "format_valid": true,
  "mx_found": true,
  "smtp_check": "valid",
  "is_disposable": false,
  "is_free": false,
  "is_role_based": true,
  "domain": "stripe.com",
  "mx_records": [
    { "priority": 1, "exchange": "aspmx.l.google.com" },
    { "priority": 5, "exchange": "alt1.aspmx.l.google.com" }
  ],
  "score": 90,
  "reason": "Valid email address"
}

status is valid, invalid, unknown or skipped. Unknown means no check could decide, for example when the mail server does not answer the mailbox probe, and then valid is null and the email is not charged. Skipped means a test address such as test@gmail.com, which is never checked or charged.

Disposable Email Response

{
  "domain": "mailinator.com",
  "is_disposable": true,
  "is_free": false
}

Score Breakdown

Score Component          │ Points │ Condition
──────────────────────────┼────────┼──────────────────────────
 Format valid             │   +20  │ Passes RFC 5321 regex
 MX records found         │   +40  │ DNS resolves mail servers
 SMTP: mailbox exists     │   +40  │ RCPT TO returns 250
 SMTP: catch-all server   │   +20  │ RCPT TO returns 252
 SMTP: no answer          │    0   │ valid null (unknown)
 SMTP: invalid mailbox    │   -20  │ RCPT TO returns 550/553
 Disposable domain        │   -50  │ Matched 400+ temp domains
 Role-based address       │   -10  │ admin@, support@, etc.
──────────────────────────┼────────┼──────────────────────────
 VALID threshold          │   ≥60  │ AND format ✓ AND MX ✓
                          │        │ AND not disposable

API Endpoints (Standby Mode)

GET /validate — Single Email

$curl "https://YOUR-STANDBY-URL/validate?email=user@gmail.com"

GET /disposable — Disposable Domain Check

curl "https://YOUR-STANDBY-URL/disposable?email=test@mailinator.com"
# or by domain
curl "https://YOUR-STANDBY-URL/disposable?domain=guerrillamail.com"

POST /validate/bulk — Batch Validation

curl -X POST "https://YOUR-STANDBY-URL/validate/bulk" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"emails":["user@gmail.com","fake@mailinator.com","ceo@stripe.com"]}'

Response:

{
  "count": 3,
  "results": [
    { "email": "user@gmail.com", "valid": true, "score": 80, "is_free": true, "is_disposable": false },
    { "email": "fake@mailinator.com", "valid": false, "score": 0, "is_disposable": true },
    { "email": "ceo@stripe.com", "valid": true, "score": 90, "is_free": false, "is_role_based": false }
  ]
}

Pricing

• $0.02 per email with a definite answer (valid true or false)
• Unknown answers (valid null) and test addresses are free, in single and bulk requests

Integration Examples

Python

import requests

# Single validation
response = requests.get(
    "https://YOUR-STANDBY-URL/validate",
    params={"email": "user@company.com"}
)
result = response.json()
print(f"Valid: {result['valid']}, Score: {result['score']}")

JavaScript

// Bulk validation
const response = await fetch("https://YOUR-STANDBY-URL/validate/bulk", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    emails: ["user@gmail.com", "fake@tempmail.com", "ceo@stripe.com"]
  })
});
const { results } = await response.json();
const valid = results.filter(r => r.valid);
console.log(`${valid.length}/${results.length} emails are valid`);

CRM / Spreadsheet Workflow

1. Export lead list from CRM (CSV with email column)
2. POST emails to /validate/bulk (50 at a time)
3. Filter results: keep only valid=true AND score >= 60
4. Re-import cleaned list to CRM
5. Result: higher deliverability, lower bounce rate

Disposable Email Domains (Partial List)

The API detects 400+ disposable/temporary email providers including:

mailinator.com, guerrillamail.com, tempmail.com, yopmail.com, 10minutemail.com, throwaway.email, sharklasers.com, dispostable.com, maildrop.cc, fakeinbox.com, emailondeck.com, getnada.com, mohmal.com, bugmenot.com, trashmail.com, spamgourmet.com, dropmail.me, and 380+ more.

Technical Architecture

Client Request
       │
       ▼
 ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │  Apify Standby Container (Node.js 22)   │
 │                                          │
 │  ┌────────────────────────────────────┐  │
 │  │  HTTP Server (port from env)       │  │
 │  │  /validate    → single check       │  │
 │  │  /disposable  → domain check       │  │
 │  │  /validate/bulk → batch (≤50)      │  │
 │  └──────────┬─────────────────────────┘  │
 │             │                             │
 │  ┌──────────▼─────────────────────────┐  │
 │  │  Validation Pipeline               │  │
 │  │  1. Regex format check             │  │
 │  │  2. Disposable Set lookup (O(1))   │  │
 │  │  3. Role-based Set lookup (O(1))   │  │
 │  │  4. DNS MX query (async)           │  │
 │  │  5. SMTP TCP probe (port 25)       │  │
 │  └────────────────────────────────────┘  │
 │                                          │
 │  Zero external API calls                 │
 │  Zero npm dependencies (beyond Apify)    │
 └─────────────────────────────────────────┘

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