# 📧 Email RBL Bulk Checker — MXToolbox Alternative (`nexgendata/email-rbl-checker`) Actor

Bulk DNS blacklist checker for IPs and domains. Queries 30+ RBLs (Spamhaus, Barracuda, SORBS, UCEPROTECT, SpamCop). Returns reputation score, listing evidence, remediation action.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/nexgendata/email-rbl-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [Stephan Corbeil](https://apify.com/nexgendata) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, Marketing
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
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.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use 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

## 📧 Email RBL Bulk Checker — MXToolbox Alternative

**The drop-in bulk DNS blacklist checker for 2026.**

MXToolbox charges $149/month for bulk mode (50 simultaneous blacklist checks). This actor runs the same 30+ RBL queries in parallel for **$0.002 per check** — that's 74x cheaper at 1,000 checks/month, and scales linearly.

### What it does

Checks any IP or domain against **30 popular DNS blacklists** including:

- **Spamhaus ZEN** (SBL, XBL, PBL combined — industry standard)
- **Barracuda Reputation Block List**
- **SpamCop BL**
- **SORBS** (multiple zones: DNSBL, Spam, Web, Zombie, Proxies)
- **UCEPROTECT** (Level 1/2/3)
- **SpamRats, Mailspike, WPBL, Manitu, CBL, NJABL**
- **Backscatterer, DroneBL, Cymru Bogons, GBUdb**

Returns per-target:

- Clean/listed status on every RBL checked
- **Reputation score 0-100** (deterministic, comparable across runs)
- Evidence (TXT record reasons when listed)
- Specific remediation action based on severity
- Resolved IP (if domain was given)

### Example

```python
import requests

APIFY_TOKEN = "your_token"

r = requests.post(
    f"https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/nexgendata~email-rbl-checker/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token={APIFY_TOKEN}",
    json={
        "targets": ["mail.example.com", "203.0.113.50", "newsletter.example.com"]
    }
)

for target in r.json():
    print(f"{target['target']} ({target['ip']}) — score: {target['reputation_score']}")
    if target["listed_on"]:
        for rbl in target["listed_on"]:
            print(f"  LISTED on {rbl['rbl_name']}: {rbl['reason']}")
    print(f"  Action: {target['recommended_action']}")
````

Sample output:

```
mail.example.com (203.0.113.50) — score: 85
  LISTED on UCEPROTECT Level 2: Poor ISP reputation
  Action: Minor listing. Request delisting from affected RBLs.
203.0.113.99 — score: 100
  Action: Clean. No blacklist issues detected.
```

### cURL

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/nexgendata~email-rbl-checker/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"targets":["8.8.8.8"]}'
```

### Common use cases

- **Pre-send deliverability check** — verify IP reputation before a marketing blast
- **Post-incident recovery** — see which blacklists flagged your IP after a compromise
- **Email service provider audits** — bulk-check all IPs in your sending pool weekly
- **Lead-list hygiene** — pre-score recipient domains for deliverability risk
- **Compliance reports** — exportable CSV for SOC 2, ISO 27001 proof of monitoring

### Pricing

Pay-per-event, no subscription:

- **$0.005 per run** (startup cost)
- **$0.002 per target checked** (regardless of how many RBLs lit up)

Checking 500 IPs = **$1.005**. Same workload on MXToolbox Bulk: $149/month with a 1,000-check monthly cap.

### FAQ

**Q: How fresh are the RBL responses?**
A: Real-time. Every query is a live DNS lookup. No caching.

**Q: What does "reputation score 0-100" mean?**
A: 100 = clean on every RBL. 85+ = one minor listing. 70-85 = moderate. Below 70 = severe — rotate IP or pause mail.

**Q: Can I provide a list of 10,000 IPs?**
A: Yes. At 30 RBLs × 10,000 IPs = 300K DNS queries. Expect ~15-20 minutes runtime on default concurrency, and about $20 in compute.

**Q: Does this also check SPF/DKIM/DMARC?**
A: No — that's a separate concern. Use [nexgendata/email-dmarc-auditor](https://apify.com/nexgendata/email-dmarc-auditor?fpr=2ayu9b) for email authentication records.

**Q: Will it delist my IP automatically?**
A: No. Delisting requires human submission to each RBL. This tool tells you *which* RBLs to submit to.

### Related tools

- [Company Email Finder](https://apify.com/nexgendata/company-email-finder?fpr=2ayu9b)
- [Email Verification Tool](https://apify.com/nexgendata/email-verification-tool?fpr=2ayu9b)
- [Website Email Extractor](https://apify.com/nexgendata/website-email-extractor?fpr=2ayu9b)
- [DNS Propagation Checker](https://apify.com/nexgendata/dns-propagation-checker?fpr=2ayu9b)

### Try it

[📧 Email RBL Bulk Checker on Apify](https://apify.com/nexgendata/email-rbl-checker?fpr=2ayu9b)

New to Apify? [Get free platform credits](https://www.apify.com/?fpr=2ayu9b).

### 💻 Code Example — Python

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("nexgendata/email-rbl-checker").call(run_input={
    ## Fill in the input shape from the actor's input_schema
})

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)
```

### 🌐 Code Example — cURL

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/nexgendata~email-rbl-checker/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ /* input schema */ }'
```

### ❓ FAQ

**Q: How do I get started?**
Sign up at [apify.com](https://www.apify.com/?fpr=2ayu9b), grab your API token from Settings → Integrations, and run the actor via the Apify console, API, Python SDK, or any integration (Zapier, Make.com, n8n).

**Q: What's the typical cost per run?**
See the pricing section below. Most runs finish under $0.10 for typical batches.

**Q: Is this actor maintained?**
Yes. NexGenData maintains 165+ Apify actors and ships updates regularly. Bug reports via the Apify console issues tab get responses within 24 hours.

**Q: Can I use the output commercially?**
Yes — you own the output data. Check the target site's Terms of Service for any usage restrictions on the scraped content itself.

**Q: How do I handle rate limits?**
Apify manages concurrency and retries automatically. For very large batches (10K+ items), run multiple smaller jobs in parallel instead of one mega-job for better reliability.

### 💰 Pricing

Pay-per-event pricing — you only pay for what you actually extract.

- **Actor Start:** $0.0001
- **result:** $0.0050

### 🔗 Related NexGenData Actors

- [Hacker News Scraper](https://apify.com/nexgendata/hacker-news-scraper?fpr=2ayu9b)
- [Google Maps Lead Scraper](https://apify.com/nexgendata/google-maps-scraper?fpr=2ayu9b)
- [SEC EDGAR Scraper](https://apify.com/nexgendata/sec-edgar-scraper?fpr=2ayu9b)

### 🚀 Apify Affiliate Program

New to Apify? Sign up with our [referral link](https://www.apify.com/?fpr=2ayu9b) — you get free platform credits on signup, and you help fund the maintenance of this actor fleet.

### 📚 More From NexGenData

Explore the full catalog, tutorials, Gumroad data packs, and newsletter at **[thenextgennexus.com](https://thenextgennexus.com)** — the brand home for everything we ship.

- 📖 Tutorials & how-to guides
- 🗂️ Full actor catalog with usage examples
- 📦 Gumroad data packs (one-time purchases)
- 📬 Newsletter — monthly drops of new actors and revenue experiments

***

*Built and maintained by [NexGenData](https://apify.com/nexgendata?fpr=2ayu9b) — 165+ actors covering scraping, enrichment, MCP servers, and automation.*
🏠 Home: [thenextgennexus.com](https://thenextgennexus.com)

# Actor input Schema

## `targets` (type: `array`):

List of IPs or domain names to check against DNS blacklists. Domains will be resolved to their A record.

## `concurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many RBLs to query in parallel per target. Lower = kinder to your DNS resolver.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "targets": [
    "8.8.8.8",
    "example.com"
  ],
  "concurrency": 10
}
```

# 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 = {
    "targets": [
        "8.8.8.8",
        "example.com"
    ],
    "concurrency": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("nexgendata/email-rbl-checker").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 = {
    "targets": [
        "8.8.8.8",
        "example.com",
    ],
    "concurrency": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("nexgendata/email-rbl-checker").call(run_input=run_input)

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

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

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "targets": [
    "8.8.8.8",
    "example.com"
  ],
  "concurrency": 10
}' |
apify call nexgendata/email-rbl-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=nexgendata/email-rbl-checker",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "📧 Email RBL Bulk Checker — MXToolbox Alternative",
        "description": "Bulk DNS blacklist checker for IPs and domains. Queries 30+ RBLs (Spamhaus, Barracuda, SORBS, UCEPROTECT, SpamCop). Returns reputation score, listing evidence, remediation action.",
        "version": "0.0",
        "x-build-id": "UqzwdHe6CpXrluymf"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/nexgendata~email-rbl-checker/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-nexgendata-email-rbl-checker",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/nexgendata~email-rbl-checker/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-nexgendata-email-rbl-checker",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/nexgendata~email-rbl-checker/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-nexgendata-email-rbl-checker",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "required": [
                    "targets"
                ],
                "properties": {
                    "targets": {
                        "title": "IPs or domains to check",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "List of IPs or domain names to check against DNS blacklists. Domains will be resolved to their A record.",
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "concurrency": {
                        "title": "Concurrent RBL queries per target",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "maximum": 30,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "How many RBLs to query in parallel per target. Lower = kinder to your DNS resolver.",
                        "default": 10
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```