Different approaches to find verified domains using Python

by Jyotsna Jadhav | Oct 16, 2024 | Blog

What is the domain?

A domain name is an online address that offers a user-friendly way to access a website. In the context of Verified domains Python, this refers to verifying that a domain is legitimate and active using Python programming techniques. In the internet world IP address is a unique string of numbers and other characters used to access websites from any device or location. However, the IP address is hard to remember and type correctly, so the domain name represents it with a word-based format that is much easier for users to handle. When a user types a domain name into a browser search bar, it uses the IP address it represents to access the site.

The Domain Name System (DNS) maps human-readable domain names (in URLs or email addresses) to IP addresses. This is the unique identity of any website or company/organization which makes any website unique and verified, It’s still possible for someone to type an IP address into a browser to reach a website, but most people want an internet address to consist of easy-to-remember words, called domain names for example: Google. , Amazon.  Etc. and domain names come with different domain extensions for example: Amazon. in, Google.com

A domain also serves several important purposes on the internet. Here are some key reasons why a domain is necessary:

• Identification: Domain names are easier to remember than IP addresses, making it simpler to locate resources online.
• Branding: A domain name is vital for building a professional online identity, reflecting the nature and purpose of a business.
• Credibility: Owning a domain enhances professionalism, showing commitment to a unique online presence.
• Email Address: A personalized email linked to a domain looks more professional and builds trust.
• Control: Domain ownership gives you control over hosting, email management, and associated content.
• SEO: A relevant, keyword-rich domain can improve search engine visibility.
• Portability: Owning a domain allows you to change hosting providers while keeping the same web address, ensuring consistency.

Why do we need domain verification?

Verifying a domain name is a key step for businesses and individuals looking to establish credibility, and control over their content, and enhance their presence on digital platforms.

Let’s Understand this using the example:

Verifying your domain helps Facebook to allow rightful parties to edit link previews directly to your content.

This allows you to manage editing permissions over links and contents and prevents misuse of your domain. This includes both organic and paid content.

These verified editing permissions ensure that only trusted employees and partners represent your brand.

Domain Verification Techniques:

Domain verification is a crucial step to make sure your domain is active and not expired. When a domain is verified, users are automatically added to the Universal Directory, so they don’t have to wait for personal approval to log in. This process helps confirm that the domain is legitimate and prevents issues related to fake or misused domains. These are some techniques through which we can verify our domain.

• WHOIS Lookup
• Requests & Sockets
• DNS Verification

Let’s see how we can verify valid domains to find verified domains using Python, you can employ several approaches listed below.

1) WHOIS Lookup:

• Use the WHOIS module in Python to perform a WHOIS lookup on a domain. This method provides information about the domain registration, including the registrar’s details and registration date.
• Install the whois module using pip install python-whois.

def check_domain(domain):
        try:
             # Attempt to retrieve information about the given domain using the     'whois' library.
           domain_info = whois.whois(domain)
           # Check if the domain status is 'ok' (verified).
           if domain_info.status == 'ok':
                print(f"{domain} is a verified domain.")
           else:
                 print(f"{domain} is not a verified domain.")
    
    # Handle exceptions related to the 'whois' library, specifically the PywhoisError.
      except whois.parser.PywhoisError:
            print(f"Error checking {domain}.")
# Handle exceptions related to the 'whois' library, specifically the PywhoisError.
      except whois.parser.PywhoisError:
            print(f"Error checking {domain}.")

2) Request & Socket

• Use Python’s request lib and socket to find verified domains For this we need to install these python dependencies requests & socket

def verify_domain(url):
   try:
       response = requests.get(url)
       if response.status_code == 200:
           return True
       else:
           return False
   except:
       return False

print(verify_domain("https://www.google.com"))  

In above function output should be True if provided url is correct

And contains correct domain name otherwise it will return false

def verify_domain_with_socket(hostname):
   try:
       ip_address = socket.gethostbyname(hostname)
       socket.create_connection((ip_address, 80))
       return True
   except:
       return False


def test_domain():
   print("response of domain verification is:  ",verify_domain_with_socket("google.net"))

print(test_domain())

Here we are passing hostname as a parameter and socket.gethostbyname(hostname) will give us the IP address for the host socket.create_connection((ip_address, 80)) is used for the socket to bind as a source address before making the connection. When we pass hostname or domain name with the correct extension to this function for example as given in the above function i.e “google.net” it will return True
And if the hostname/domain is incorrect it will return false.

To verify a domain in Python, you can use various approaches depending on the type of verification required. Here, is one of the common methods: DNS verification

DNS Verification:

DNS verification involves checking if a specific DNS record exists for the domain. For example, you might check for a TXT record with a specific value.

import dns.resolver
def verify_dns(domain, record_type, expected_value):
    try:
        answers = dns.resolver.resolve(domain, record_type)
        for rdata in answers:
            if rdata.to_text() == expected_value:
                return True
    except dns.resolver.NXDOMAIN:
        pass
    return False
# dns.resolver.resolve attempts to resolve the specified DNS record type for the given domain 
domain = "google.com"
record_type = "TXT"
expected_value = "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"

This is a Valid example of the above function where the domain is “google.com”, the function returns True when the record type is “TXT” and the expected value matches Google’s SPF TXT record. If no match is found or if the domain does not exist (it will give an NXDOMAIN exception), it returns False.

Check out the GitHub repository for more details
https://github.com/jjadhav-dj/DNS-Verification-using-python.git

Conclusion:

 A domain name is a crucial component of your online identity, providing a way for people to find and remember your website or online services. Whether for personal use, business, or any other online endeavor, having a domain name is an essential part of establishing a presence on the internet.

Each approach serves a distinct purpose in verifying a domain’s legitimacy. Choose the verification method based on your specific use case and requirements. Verified domains Python methods like DNS verification are often used for domain ownership verification, while WHOIS Lookup provides essential registration details.

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Jyotsna Jadhav

Jyotsna is a Jr SDET which have expertise in manual and automation testing for web and mobile both. She has worked on Python, Selenium, Mysql,
BDD, Git, HTML & CSS. She loves to explore new technologies and products which put impact on future technologies.