Email SMTP validator

Question

I need to send hundreds of newsletters, but would like to check first if email exists on server. It's called SMTP validation, at least I think so, based on my research on Internet.

There's several libraries that can do that, and also a page with open-source code in ASP Classic (http://www.coveryourasp.com/ValidateEmail.asp#Result3), but I have hard time reading ASP Classic, and it seems that it uses some third-party library...

Is there some code for SMTP validation in C#, and/or general explanation of how it works?

Answer 1

Be aware that most MTAs (Mail Transfer Agent) will have the VRFY command turned off for spam protection reasons, they'll probably even block you if you try several RCPT TO in a row (see http://www.spamresource.com/2007/01/whatever-happened-to-vrfy.html). So even if you find a library to do that verification, it won't be worth a lot. Ishmaeel is right, the only way to really find out, is sending an email and see if it bounces or not.

@Hrvoje: Yes, I'm suggesting you monitor rejected emails. BUT: not all the bounced mails should automatically end up on your "does not exist"-list, you also have to differentiate between temporary (e.g. mailbox full) and permanent errors.

Answer 2

SMTP is a text based protocol carried over TCP/IP.

Your validation program needs to open a TCP/IP connection to the server's port 25 (SMTP), write in a few lines and read the answer. Validation is done (but not always) on the "RCTP TO" line and on the "VFRY" line.

The SMTP RFC describes how this works (see [email protected] below, S are lines sent by the client, R are lines received from the server):

Example of the SMTP Procedure

         This SMTP example shows mail sent by Smith at host Alpha.ARPA,
         to Jones, Green, and Brown at host Beta.ARPA.  Here we assume
         that host Alpha contacts host Beta directly.

            S: MAIL FROM:
            R: 250 OK

            S: RCPT TO:
            R: 250 OK

            S: RCPT TO:
            R: 550 No such user here

Answer 3

While it's true that many domains will return false positives because of abuse, there are still some great components out there that will perform several levels of validation beyond just the SMTP validation. For example, it's worth it to check first to see if at least the domain exists. I'm in the process of compiling my own list of resources related to this question which you can track here:

http://delicious.com/dworthley/email.validation (broken link)

For those who might want to add to this list, I'll also include what I currently have here:

• aspNetMX
• .NET Email Validation Wizard Class Library
• MONOProg Email Validator.Net

For a bulletproof form and a great user experience, it's helpful to validate as many aspects of the email address as possible. I can see from the aspNetMX validator that they check:

• the syntax
• the email against a list of bad email addresses
• the domain against a list of bad domains
• a list of mailbox domains
• whether or not the domain exists
• whether there are MX records for the domain
• and finally through SMTP whether or not a mailbox exists

It's this last step that can be circumvented by administrators by returning true to basically all account verification requests, but in most cases if the user has intentionally entered a bad address it's already been caught. And if it was user error in the domain part of the address, that will be caught too.

Of course, a best practice for using this kind of a service for a registration screen or form would be to combine this kind of validation with a verification process to ensure that the email address is valid. The great thing about using an email validator in front of a verification process is that it will make for a better overall user experience.