An email address validation API allows you to eliminate fake IDs. It also helps you keep your database clean with authentic email addresses. What this means is that you always have a database full of genuine contact information. With that genuine information, you can reach real clients, land big deals, and also grow your business. However, it is not that simple. There are also several tricks and tips you need to know to perform effective verifications. These tips and tricks will help you get the most out of the API. In this post, you will find 6 helpful tips for using an email address validation API. Let’s dive in.
An email address validation API determines if the email IDs on your mailing list are accurate, valid, and deliverable. It utilizes various methods to perform the verifications. These include syntax validation, SMTP checks, and disposable address detection. Together they can almost entirely eliminate fake IDs from your database.
In this article, we’ll discuss how email address validation API plays a key part in enabling organizations to obtain the precise addresses crucial for geospatial data analysis.
Table of Contents
6 Tips for Effectively Using an Email Address Validation API
1. How can I identify role accounts to stop spammers?
Email addresses with role accounts, like [email protected], or [email protected], belong to a group of users in an organization. These IDs are used by more than one person. So, you don’t want to send marketing emails to them. Role accounts are also widely abused by spammers. Because of this, you need to identify and prevent them from getting into your database.
By using email address validation APIs, like mailboxlayer, you can quickly identify role accounts to eliminate spammers. Let’s take a look at a practical example by identifying the role of this email address:
Let’s make an API request with this email ID:
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support@maillayer.com |
In just a few seconds, you will get this response in JSON format:
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{ "did_you_mean": "", "user": "support", "domain": "maillayer.com", "format_valid": true, "mx_found": true, "smtp_check": false, "catch_all": false, "role": true, "disposable": false, "free": false, "score": 0.48 } |
Notice that the role field is set to true so it’s a role account.
As you can see, Mailboxlayer has made it very easy to identify the role-based email address. You just need to pass the email ID and the API key. The API handles the rest.
2. Can I make the API work faster by disabling the SMTP check feature?
While validating email addresses with the API, you might want to disable some features to speed up the process. One of them is SMTP check, which takes up around 75% of the API’s entire response time. By turning it off, you can significantly boost performance.
In order to disable the SMTP check, you have to make the API request in this way:
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https://apilayer.net/api/check ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY & email = support@apilayer.com & smtp = 0 |
Notice that the value of smtp is set to 0 to disable the feature.
3. Can I enhance the performance by disabling catch-all detection?
Another great way to boost performance is by disabling catch-all detection. It has a heavy impact on the API’s response time so you might want to turn it off.
In order to disable catch-all detection, you have to make the API request in this way:
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https://apilayer.net/api/check ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY & email = support@apilayer.com & catch_all = 0 |
The value of catch_all is set to 0 so the feature is off. As a result, you will get this response from the API:
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{ [...] "catch_all": false, [...] } |
4. Can I get maximum performance by limiting API usage?
For the best performance, you should limit your usage to a maximum of 5 API requests per second. This means less than 300 requests/minute. It will help the API perform better.
The Free, Basic, and Professional plans of mailboxlayer offer a rate limit of 300 requests per minute. However, if you need more flexibility, you can pick up the Enterprise package. It allows you to make 600 requests/minute.
5. How can I validate a large number of IDs on my mailing list?
You have thousands of email addresses in your database. It’s not possible to check them one by one. You need a solution to validate them quickly and efficiently. By using mailboxlayer, you can perform a bulk email address check. It will help you validate multiple IDs at the same time so you can verify a large number of email addresses quickly.
In order to perform a bulk email ID check, you have to make the API request in this way:
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https://apilayer.net/api/check ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY & email = support@maillayer.com, support1@maillayer.com, support2@maillayer.com, ... |
6. How can I establish a secure connection to the API easily to protect my database?
While establishing a connection to the API, you don’t want your database to be exposed to security threats. You want to connect securely. You don’t want to give the hackers any chance. Mailboxlayer supports the industry-standard 256-bit HTTPS encryption technology. So, you can connect securely by simply attaching an s to the HTTP Protocol. That means you will have to type https://, rather than http://. As a result, SSL will be used to encrypt normal HTTP requests and responses.
Can I rely on Mailboxlayer to validate email addresses securely and effortlessly?
Mailboxlayer is a powerful API. It allows you to validate email IDs effortlessly. You just need to pass the API key and the email address. After that, the API deals with everything. This means you don’t need to do anything from scratch. Mailboxlayer is also fast. As a result, it can perform verifications in seconds. Mailboxlayer is highly secure in addition to its speed. This means you don’t have to worry about your mailing list being exposed to security threats. You can definitely rely on Mailboxlayer to validate email IDs securely.
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