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Show HN: I built an API to detect and verify disposable or temp email addresses

5 points by 42newuser 2y ago

Hi HN, I'm excited to share a project I've been working on: UnwrapEmail(https://unwrap.email https://unwrap.email), an API designed to detect and verify disposable or temporary email addresses. Features: - Detect disposable email addresses - Extract labels from email addresses (e.g., Gmail) - Normalize addresses by removing labels or special characters (e.g., Gmail) - Validate MX records of domains - Check whether it’s safe to send to a given email to reduce bounces and maintain sender reputation Why I Built This: As the owner of an AI wrapper app, I've seen decent traffic thanks to SEO efforts + ads, and I've been able to convert visitors into users with free plans. However, some users exploit these free resources by using disposable emails or Gmail’s "+" trick to create multiple accounts. This abuse costs me money, as I have to pay third-party AI API providers from my limited profits. I couldn’t ignore this behavior, as it directly impacts my expenses. However, I also didn’t want to put my products behind a paywall without offering a free trial option. To address this, I developed this API initially for internal use, and it proved to be effective that I decided to turn it into a dedicated service. Try it now: https://unwrap.email https://unwrap.email Note: I understand the need for temporary/disposable addresses, but I can't afford to cover the costs for those exploiting the system. This API is designed to help app owners make informed decisions based on the responses. Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear your feedback.

mtmail 2y ago
From the guidelines "Please don't delete and repost. Deletion is for things that shouldn't have been submitted in the first place."
- 42newuser 2y ago
  Sorry! Im not sure what you’ve meant by this! Since my account was new, my initial post got flagged. Contacted the mods and they made a new thread with the same content!
  - chrisjj 2y ago
    > they made a new thread Under your username??
    - 42newuser 2y ago
      I believe so! Here's what I got as a response from mods. > It got hit by a spam filter. Sorry about that; those are tuned a bit more strictly for new accounts. We've marked your account legit so it won't happen again, and I've made a fresh copy of your submission (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40492975 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40492975) so it gets its full time on /newest. I hope this helps!
      - chrisjj 2y ago
        Thanks. So the repost definitely wasn't by you.
  - theGeatZhopa 2y ago
    isn't there a way to unflag content for a mod.. Just, asking for my friend.. Me thinks, too, its kind of strange to have something in the guidelines about not deleting posts and just do that on purpose by some who's there for enforcing of the rules, instead of the using the mod's power to unflag it (..just a suspicion)
chrisjj 2y ago
I tested it with a regular gmail address. It incorrectly reported non-disposable. I don't see how this sevice can expect to disinguish usefully.
- 42newuser 2y ago
  Hey, thanks a lot for testing. Since gmail.com is legit domain, I don't think I could flag it as disposable. But, the API does return normalised gmail address which you can use to create a unique hash column on your database to prevent any signups using that same gmail address! For example. u.s.e.r+platform@gmail.com will be normalised to "user@gmail.com" and you can save this unique value to database and prevent signups using "u.s.e.r+platform1@gmail.com", "u.s.e.r+platform2@gmail.com" etc
  - chrisjj 2y ago
    > Since gmail.com is legit domain There is the start of the problem. Mailinator.com is equally legit. > I don't think I could flag it as disposable. Agreed. But your service would simply push your targets to use gmail.com.
    - 42newuser 2y ago
      The purpose of this project is to let developers take informative decision, like they can allow/deny access to service based on all the returned fields. This doesn't vouch for allowing or blocking any particular services. In my case, I refuse access to my services if the user is using a known temp mail service. If they're using "labeled" gmail service, I simply save the hash of normalised gmail to database and prevent any further signups using different labels.
      - chrisjj 2y ago
        > The purpose of this project is to let developers take informative decision, like they can allow/deny access to service based on all the returned fields. Sounds good, but the blurb does give a slightly different impression: "Features: - Detect disposable email addresses"
alam2000 2y ago
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5 points by 42newuser 2y ago

mtmail 2y ago

From the guidelines "Please don't delete and repost. Deletion is for things that shouldn't have been submitted in the first place."

42newuser 2y ago
Sorry! Im not sure what you’ve meant by this! Since my account was new, my initial post got flagged. Contacted the mods and they made a new thread with the same content!
- chrisjj 2y ago
  > they made a new thread Under your username??
  - 42newuser 2y ago
    I believe so! Here's what I got as a response from mods. > It got hit by a spam filter. Sorry about that; those are tuned a bit more strictly for new accounts. We've marked your account legit so it won't happen again, and I've made a fresh copy of your submission (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40492975 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40492975) so it gets its full time on /newest. I hope this helps!
    - chrisjj 2y ago
      Thanks. So the repost definitely wasn't by you.
- theGeatZhopa 2y ago
  isn't there a way to unflag content for a mod.. Just, asking for my friend.. Me thinks, too, its kind of strange to have something in the guidelines about not deleting posts and just do that on purpose by some who's there for enforcing of the rules, instead of the using the mod's power to unflag it (..just a suspicion)

chrisjj 2y ago

I tested it with a regular gmail address. It incorrectly reported non-disposable. I don't see how this sevice can expect to disinguish usefully.

42newuser 2y ago
Hey, thanks a lot for testing. Since gmail.com is legit domain, I don't think I could flag it as disposable. But, the API does return normalised gmail address which you can use to create a unique hash column on your database to prevent any signups using that same gmail address! For example. u.s.e.r+platform@gmail.com will be normalised to "user@gmail.com" and you can save this unique value to database and prevent signups using "u.s.e.r+platform1@gmail.com", "u.s.e.r+platform2@gmail.com" etc
- chrisjj 2y ago
  > Since gmail.com is legit domain There is the start of the problem. Mailinator.com is equally legit. > I don't think I could flag it as disposable. Agreed. But your service would simply push your targets to use gmail.com.
  - 42newuser 2y ago
    The purpose of this project is to let developers take informative decision, like they can allow/deny access to service based on all the returned fields. This doesn't vouch for allowing or blocking any particular services. In my case, I refuse access to my services if the user is using a known temp mail service. If they're using "labeled" gmail service, I simply save the hash of normalised gmail to database and prevent any further signups using different labels.
    - chrisjj 2y ago
      > The purpose of this project is to let developers take informative decision, like they can allow/deny access to service based on all the returned fields. Sounds good, but the blurb does give a slightly different impression: "Features: - Detect disposable email addresses"

alam2000 2y ago

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