MailboxValidator API

Email / API Key Intermediate HTTPS
Varies by plan (check documentation)

Overview

MailboxValidator performs multi-layered email address validation including syntax checking, DNS/MX record lookup, disposable email detection, and SMTP mailbox verification to help improve email list deliverability. It provides detailed per-signal results so you can tune acceptance thresholds to your use case. An API key from mailboxvalidator.com is required; a free tier with 100 verifications per month is available.

💡

Beginner Tip

MailboxValidator returns several individual checks rather than a single pass/fail, giving you full control over how strict your validation is. The free API key is available without a credit card — ideal for testing email form validation on small projects.

Available Data

email delivery status
message ID
bounce/complaint data
open/click tracking

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "message_id": "msg_abc123def456",
  "status": "delivered",
  "to": "[email protected]",
  "subject": "Welcome!",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}

Field Reference

email_address The email address that was submitted for validation
status Overall validation result: ok (mailbox exists), fail (does not exist), or unknown (could not verify)
is_syntax True/False string indicating whether the email passes RFC syntax rules
is_mx True/False string indicating whether the email domain has valid MX records for receiving mail
is_disposable True/False string flagging whether the domain is a known temporary or disposable email provider
is_free True/False string indicating whether the email uses a free consumer mail provider like Gmail or Yahoo

Implementation Example

const url = "https://www.mailboxvalidator.com/api-email-free";
// Replace headers or query params with the values required by this API.
const response = await fetch(url, {
  headers: {
  "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

error_code 101 (Invalid API Key) The api_key parameter is missing or the key was reset in the dashboard
Log into mailboxvalidator.com, copy the key from the Single Validation API section, and pass it exactly as the api_key query parameter
"status": "unknown" for a valid-looking address The recipient mail server blocked the SMTP probe used for mailbox verification
Combine is_syntax and is_mx as your primary signals; treat unknown status as a soft warning rather than an automatic rejection
Quota exceeded error mid-campaign Free tier allows only 100 requests/month; list validation consumes quota quickly
Upgrade to a paid plan for bulk validation, or pre-validate only new sign-up addresses rather than re-verifying entire lists

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 5/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 12/20
✓ Reliability 10/15

Partially tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth API Key
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Email
Difficulty Intermediate
Verified: 2026-04-04

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