email

This endpoint validates an email address in real-time to check whether it's capable of receiving email. It performs checks on the syntax of the email address, the associated MX record and the individual mailbox. It identifies disposable email addresses (DEAs) and provides alternative suggestions if typos are detected.

Email validation: Enable access on your API key using the Features page or by contacting us.

Request URL

GET https://ws.postcoder.com/pcw/{apikey}/email/{email}

Path parameters

Parameter	Description	Example
`apikey`	Your API key	`PCW45-12345-12345-1234X`
`email`	The URL-encoded email address you wish to validate	`jo@gmail.com`

Querystring parameters

Parameter	Description	Example
`format`	Sets the format of the response, xml or json (default unless "application/xml" header is detected)	`format=json`
`identifier`	Specifies your own meaningful identifier for the request such as "websiteA" or "client123"; you can view usage for each identifier on the Identifier Usage page, which may be helpful when using your API key across multiple websites, apps or clients	`identifier=websiteA`
`timeout`	Sets the maximum time in milliseconds to wait for the request to complete; the timeout should be an integer between 1000 and 120000, the default is 10000	`timeout=2000`

Example request and response

GET https://ws.postcoder.com/pcw/PCW45-12345-12345-1234X/email/sales%40alliescomputing.com?format=json

{
	"warning": "This is a test key do NOT use it live (always returns true)",
	"state": "Test Key",
	"valid": true,
	"score": "100",
	"processtime": "0"
}

Response fields

Field	Description	Example
`warning`	An advisory message about the validation process	Only reduced validation is available for this domain
`state`	One of the following states, which may change from time to time: Mailbox Does Not Exist Mailbox Temporarily Unavailable Mailbox Validation Timeout Smtp Connection Timeout Success (Server is Catch All) Success Domain is Well Known DEA Domain Does Not Exist Test Key	Test Key
`valid`	A true or false indicating whether the email address is valid	true
`score`	A validation score between 0 to 100 where higher is better	100
`processtime`	The time spent processing the validation, measured in ms	321
`alternative`	A did-you-mean-style alternative spelling where possible	jo@gmail.com

Integration advice

URL encode all special characters (including /) in your request parameters with %xx encoding
Verify your request was successful by checking for an HTTP status code of 200; see all HTTP status codes with descriptions
When using your API key across multiple websites, apps or clients, set the identifier querystring parameter to a meaningful value such as "websiteA" or "client123"; you'll then be able to view these identifiers and the number of requests made by each one on the Identifier Usage page
Requests will usually return within a second but may take longer depending on the email address provider; use the timeout querystring parameter to set a maximum time to wait
Treat all response fields as optional

Credit cost

Each request costs 1.2 credits.

Buy a credit pack or set up a monthly plan to use with all Postcoder endpoints.