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Email Validation verifies email addresses by checking syntax, domain validity, and mailbox existence to ensure emails reach real recipients.

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Coverage

  • Global: Validates email addresses worldwide with 97% accuracy for mailbox verification
  • Domain verification: Checks if domains can send and receive emails
  • Mailbox validation: Pings mailboxes to verify they accept emails at the specified account
  • Risk assessment: Identifies disposable, temporary, role-based, and high-risk email addresses

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Available Endpoints

Email Validation provides two primary API endpoints:

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Getting Started

  1. Create an API key if you don’t have one
  2. Choose the appropriate endpoint for your use case
  3. Make your first request using the endpoint documentation above
Here’s a simple example request for the Individual Validate endpoint: 
curl --request GET \
  --url https://api.addressy.com/EmailValidation/Interactive/Validate/v2.00/json6.ws

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What Email Validation Returns

Email Validation provides:
  • Validation status indicating whether the email address is valid, catch-all, invalid, or timed out
  • Email components (user account and domain) separated for analysis
  • Risk assessment score (High, Medium, Low, or Unknown)
  • Flags for disposable/temporary addresses and fraud risk indicators
  • Validation duration for performance monitoring
Response should be in the following format: 
{
  "Items": [
    {
      "ResponseCode": "Valid",
      "ResponseMessage": "Email address was fully validated",
      "EmailAddress": "enquiries@gbgplc.com",
      "UserAccount": "enquiries",
      "Domain": "gbgplc.com",
      "IsDisposableOrTemporary": false,
      "IsComplainerOrFraudRisk": false,
      "Duration": 0.245,
      "Reason": "",
      "Risk": "Low"
    }
  ]
}
And you can use this information below to interpret the response fields:

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Validation Results

FieldTypeDescription
ResponseCodestringValidation outcome: Valid (fully validated including mailbox), Valid_CatchAll (domain validated but mailbox couldn’t be verified), Invalid (address is invalid), or Timeout (validation couldn’t complete within timeout)
ResponseMessagestringTextual description of the ResponseCode returned
ReasonstringExplanation for why the email wasn’t valid (populated when ResponseCode is Invalid)
RiskstringRisk score: High, Medium, Low, or Unknown. Aggregated analysis indicating likelihood of email bounce. Higher risk means greater bounce probability

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Email Components

FieldTypeDescription
EmailAddressstringThe complete email address that verification was attempted on
UserAccountstringThe account portion of the email address (before the @ symbol)
DomainstringThe domain portion of the email address (after the @ symbol)

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Quality Indicators

FieldTypeDescription
IsDisposableOrTemporarybooleanWhether the email is a disposable/temporary mailbox (shouldn’t be used for marketing communications)
IsComplainerOrFraudRiskbooleanThis field is no longer valid and will always return false
DurationnumberTime taken for validation in seconds (maximum 15 seconds). Recommended timeout is at least 5 seconds to minimize Timeout responses

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Required Parameters

ParameterTypeDescription
KeystringYour API key to authenticate to the service
EmailstringThe email address to verify

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Optional Parameters

ParameterTypeDescription
TimeoutintegerTime in milliseconds for validation attempt (1-15000). Values outside this range default to 15000. Recommended: at least 5000ms to reduce Timeout responses
AdditionalFieldsstringOption to return additional fields beyond the standard response
When an error occurs, the API returns an error response with the following structure:
FieldTypeDescription
ErrorstringThe error ID
DescriptionstringA description of the error
CausestringThe cause of the error
ResolutionstringActions to resolve the error

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Common Error Codes

Status CodeMeaningCommon Causes
400Bad RequestInvalid parameters, malformed request, missing required Email parameter
401UnauthorizedInvalid or missing API key
403ForbiddenAPI key doesn’t have permission for Email Validation, or daily limit exceeded
500Internal Server ErrorServer-side issue, temporary service disruption
Tip: Check the Resolution field for specific steps to fix the error. For more details on error responses, see Individual Validate in API documentation.
Note: Email Validation checks if an email address can receive messages but does not link to individual identities. Privacy is maintained throughout the validation process.

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Try Email Validation

Test Email Validation using the Individual Validate Playground to make your first request.

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FAQ

Email Validation follows a multi-step verification process:
  • Syntax check: Ensures the address format is valid (contains @ symbol, proper domain structure)
  • Domain verification: Confirms the domain can send and receive emails
  • Mailbox ping: Tests whether the mailbox accepts emails at the specified account (97% accuracy)
  • Proprietary integrations: Verifies catch-all status, disposable/temporary domains, and other mailbox characteristics through direct provider integrations
This process doesn’t rely on a static database but performs real-time verification against live email infrastructure.
A Valid_CatchAll ResponseCode indicates the email domain accepts emails to ANY email account, making it impossible to fully validate the specific mailbox. This occurs due to:
  • Firewall restrictions on the mail server
  • Domain configuration that accepts all incoming mail
You’ll need to decide whether to send emails to these addresses based on your use case. While the domain is verified, the specific mailbox existence cannot be confirmed.
The Risk field provides an aggregated assessment of bounce likelihood:
  • High: Greater likelihood that emails will bounce
  • Medium: Moderate bounce risk
  • Low: Low bounce probability
  • Unknown: Insufficient data to assess risk
This score analyzes all returned email fields to help you decide whether to send to a particular address. Use it alongside other fields like IsDisposableOrTemporary for informed decision-making.
Beyond validation status, Email Validation returns:
  • Whether an email is disposable or temporary
  • If the domain is high-risk for sending email
  • Risk score (High, Medium, Low, Unknown)
  • Validation duration for performance monitoring
  • Email components (user account and domain separated)
Note: The ability to detect role-based addresses (support@, marketing@) and mailbox full status may vary by endpoint. See the Individual Validate API documentation for complete field details.