validate_email

What it is and what it does

Validate_email checks whether an email address is properly formatted and can verify that it actually exists. It offers three levels of validation: basic format checking, MX record verification to confirm the domain has mail servers, and full SMTP verification to test whether the email address is accepted by the mail server. Optional external dependencies enable DNS lookups and SMTP checks; without them, only basic format validation is available.

The package is abandoned and has not been updated since 2015, meaning it does not account for modern email infrastructure changes, anti-spam measures, or Python version evolution. While it maintains moderate download volume, this likely reflects legacy codebases still using it rather than active new adoption. The lack of maintenance poses risks for compatibility and security.

Use it for:

• Basic email format validation in user registration forms when you need only syntax checking.
• Verifying that a domain has mail servers before attempting to send email to that domain.
• Testing whether an email address is actively accepted by a mail server during account signup.
• Batch validation of email lists to filter out obviously invalid addresses before sending campaigns.
• Legacy application maintenance where the package is already in use and replacement is not feasible.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Validates email addresses for proper format and checks whether they actually exist by verifying domain MX records and SMTP connectivity.

No. The package is abandoned (last release 2015-03-23, no maintenance since 2022-12-12) and does not reflect modern email infrastructure. SMTP verification is unreliable against current anti-spam measures, and Python compatibility is unspecified. For new projects, use a maintained alternative. For existing code, consider migration to an actively maintained email validation library.

Install

validate-email on PyPI

pip install validate-email

uv add validate-email

poetry add validate-email

Installing validate_email

Before you install

High install friction due to the source distribution format. Package is abandoned—last release was 2015-03-23, over a decade ago, with no commits since 2022-12-12. No active maintenance or security updates.

License in practice

Licensed under LGPL (copyleft), which requires that derivative works and modifications remain under the same license. Redistribution is permitted but comes with copyleft obligations.

Quickstart

pip install validate_email

from validate_email import validate_email
is_valid = validate_email('example@example.com')
is_valid = validate_email('example@example.com', verify=True)

An optional external DNS package is required to enable MX record checking and email verification; basic format validation works without it.

Verify before relying

• Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions and current email infrastructure standards.
• Current state of SMTP verification reliability given changes in email server configurations and anti-spam measures since 2015.
• Whether optional DNS dependencies are still maintained and compatible with current systems.

Package facts

Evidence: validate_email-1.3.tar.gz

Keywords: email, validation, verification, mx, verify

Tags

More Internet packages