What is a disposable email? A disposable (or temporary) email is an address from a service like tempmail.com or guerrillamail.com that users create for one-time use. They often sign up with these to avoid spam or to bypass signup requirements. Emailyze detects these domains so you can block them at signup or flag them in your lists.
How does Emailyze work? You send an email address to our API. We look up the domain in our database of 30,000+ known disposable and temporary providers, check MX records, and return 13 signals including is_disposable, risk_score, and mx_valid. You use these signals to block, allow, or flag addresses based on your policy.
What's the difference between the API and on-premise? The hosted API runs on our infrastructure—you call our endpoint and get results. On-premise means you run our Docker image on your own servers. Same API, same response format. On-premise keeps all data inside your environment for compliance or data sovereignty.
How do I get an API key? Sign up for an account, go to the dashboard, and create an API key. The key is shown once at creation; store it securely. Use it in the Authorization header or as a query parameter when calling the API. See our quickstart guide for examples.
What are the rate limits? Limits depend on your plan. Free tier has lower limits; paid plans support higher throughput. Typical limits are per-minute or per-day. Batch requests count as one request but can include up to 1,000 emails. Check your plan details in the dashboard.
Can I self-host? Yes. We provide a Docker image that runs the full stack—API, database, and domain data—on your infrastructure. You get the same API and signals without sending data to us. Ideal for enterprises with strict data residency or compliance requirements.
How often is the data updated? Our ETL pipeline fetches from multiple sources every 15–30 minutes, merges and normalizes data, enriches with MX records, and publishes hourly snapshots. You get fresh domain data without manual updates. On-premise deployments can sync on your schedule.
What's the risk score? risk_score is a number from 0 to 100. Higher means higher likelihood of disposable or risky usage. 80+ is typically high risk; 31–79 is medium; 0–30 is low. Use it with is_disposable to tune your blocking threshold. It's derived from domain lists, MX analysis, and feedback.
Do you support masked emails (Apple Hide My Email)? Yes. We classify domains like privaterelay.appleid.com and relay.firefox.com as "masked." These forward to real addresses and are legitimate. We recommend allowing them. Our provider_type field distinguishes masked from disposable.
What's the pricing? Pricing is usage-based. You pay per email checked. We publish transparent pricing on our website. No hidden fees. Higher-volume plans have lower per-check rates. Check the pricing page for current rates and plan tiers.
Is there a free tier? Yes. We offer a free tier with a limited number of checks per month so you can evaluate the API and integrate it. No credit card required to start. Upgrade when you need higher volume or additional features.
How do I report a false positive or negative? Use the feedback form in the dashboard or API. For false positives (a domain we flag as disposable but isn't), we'll review and may allowlist it. For false negatives (a disposable domain we missed), we'll add it to our sources. Your feedback improves our data for everyone.
Can I use the API from my backend only? Yes. The API is designed for server-side use. Never expose your API key in frontend or mobile code. Call the API from your backend, serverless function, or batch job. This keeps your key secure and avoids CORS or client-side limits.
What happens if I exceed my rate limit? You'll receive an HTTP 429 response. Implement exponential backoff and retry. For batch workloads, use the batch endpoint to reduce request count. Upgrade your plan if you consistently need higher throughput.
Do you offer a CSV bulk upload? Yes. Our dashboard supports CSV upload for list cleaning. Upload a file with email addresses, and we'll check them in bulk. Results can be downloaded. This is useful for marketers cleaning lists without writing code.
What formats does the API return? JSON. All responses are JSON with consistent structure. The single-check endpoint returns one object; the batch endpoint returns an array of results. Optional query parameters (e.g., verify=true for SMTP checks) control which signals are included. See the API reference for the full schema.
How do I handle unknown domains? Domains not in our database return provider_type "unknown" and risk_score based on heuristics. Use risk_score with a threshold (e.g., 50+) to flag suspicious unknowns. For critical flows, consider optional SMTP verification. You can also submit false-negative feedback if you find a disposable domain we missed.
Where can I see API documentation? Full API docs are at /docs. They cover the single-check endpoint, batch endpoint, all response fields, error codes, and examples. We also have a quickstart guide for first-time integration and tutorials for common use cases like signup blocking and list cleaning.
Is there a webhook or callback for batch jobs? For large CSV uploads or batch jobs, results are available via the dashboard when processing completes. For API batch requests, you receive the response synchronously. For very large jobs, consider splitting into multiple batch requests or using our CSV upload feature with email notification when ready.
What's the difference between provider_type and is_disposable? is_disposable is a boolean: true means the domain is in our disposable list. provider_type is a category: "disposable," "personal," "masked," or "unknown." For domains in our lists, provider_type gives more nuance—e.g., "masked" means Apple Hide My Email or similar, which we recommend allowing. Use both: is_disposable for blocking, provider_type for policy (e.g., allow masked, block disposable).
How do I contact support? Use the contact form or email on our website. For account and billing questions, we typically respond within one business day. For API integration help, our docs and examples cover most cases. Enterprise customers may have dedicated support channels.