How to Validate Email Addresses with MailboxLayer API in PHP

Integrate MailboxLayer API

• Include the MailboxLayer PHP wrapper in your project to simplify API requests. You can use Composer for this purpose.

 

• Consider custom integration for more control over request handling, using cURL for making API calls directly from PHP.

Set Up API Request

• Create a PHP function to handle API requests. This function should construct the URL with the endpoint `http://apilayer.net/api/check` and append necessary parameters such as `access_key`, `email`, and any optional parameters like `smtp` or `format`.

 

• Use `http_build_query` to convert parameters into a query string format for the API request.

function validateEmailWithMailboxLayer($email) {
    $access_key = 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY';
    $url = 'http://apilayer.net/api/check?' . http_build_query([
        'access_key' => $access_key,
        'email' => $email,
        'smtp' => 1,
        'format' => 1
    ]);

    $ch = curl_init($url);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
    $response = curl_exec($ch);
    curl_close($ch);

    return json_decode($response, true);
}

Execute and Analyze API Response

• Invoke your validation function, passing the email address you wish to check.

 

• Analyze the JSON response, focusing on fields such as `format_valid`, `smtp_check`, and `mx_found` to determine email validity.

$email = "test@example.com";
$result = validateEmailWithMailboxLayer($email);

if ($result['format_valid'] && $result['smtp_check'] && $result['mx_found']) {
    echo "The email address is valid.";
} else {
    echo "The email address is invalid.";
}

Handle Errors Gracefully

• Implement error handling to manage cases where the API is unreachable or an invalid response is returned.

 

• Consider retry logic or fallbacks, such as notifying the user that the email validation has failed temporarily.

function validateEmailWithMailboxLayer($email) {
    // ... existing code ...
    
    if (curl_errno($ch)) {
        logError(curl_error($ch)); // Implement your logging
        return false; // Indicate an error occurred
    }
    
    $response_data = json_decode($response, true);
    
    if (!isset($response_data['format_valid'])) {
        logError("Invalid response received.");
        return false;
    }
    
    return $response_data;
}

Consider Privacy and Compliance

• Ensure your email validation process complies with relevant privacy regulations, such as GDPR, as you'll be sending email addresses to a third-party service.

 

• Review MailboxLayer's data retention policies and terms of use to ensure alignment with your privacy practices.

Optimize API Requests

• Batch API requests or perform validations during off-peak hours if dealing with large volumes to prevent API rate limiting.

 

• Use caching mechanisms to store previously validated addresses, reducing redundant API calls.