Phishing Domain Checker API Reference

Overview

Phishing Domain Checker uses the Phishing.Database project which aggregates phishing domains from multiple sources. The API accepts either a domain or full URL and checks against the active phishing domains list, and additionally applies list-free structural heuristics — punycode/IDN homograph detection, raw-IP hosts and other indicators — to produce a composite risk score for domains that may not be listed yet.

Endpoint

One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.

POSThttps://api.apiverve.com/v1/phishingcheck

curl -X POST https://api.apiverve.com/v1/phishingcheck \
  -H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "domain": "centruldepiele.ro"
}'

const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/phishingcheck', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "domain": "centruldepiele.ro"
}),
});

if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);

const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/phishingcheck",
    headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
    json={
    "domain": "centruldepiele.ro"
},
    timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()

print(res.json()["data"])

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"strings"
)

func main() {
	body := strings.NewReader(`{
  "domain": "centruldepiele.ro"
}`)
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/phishingcheck", body)
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")

	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()

	out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(out))
}

Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Parameters

Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Parameter	Type	Description
`domain`Required	string	The domain to check (e.g., example.com) domain

Response

Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "domain": "secure-banking-login.suspicious-domain.com",
    "isPhishing": true,
    "matchedDomain": "suspicious-domain.com",
    "inputType": "url",
    "originalInput": "https://secure-banking-login.suspicious-domain.com/auth",
    "isPunycode": false,
    "isIpAddress": false,
    "riskScore": 85,
    "riskLevel": "high"
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`domain`	string	`"secure-banking-login.suspicious-domain.com"`	The domain that was checked for phishing threats
`isPhishing`	boolean	`true`	Whether the domain is a known phishing site
`matchedDomain`Premium	string	`"suspicious-domain.com"`	The matched phishing domain from threat database
`inputType`	string	`"url"`	Type of input checked - domain or URL format
`originalInput`	string	`"https://secure-banking-login.suspicious-domain.com/auth"`	The original input provided by the user
`isPunycode`Premium	boolean	`false`	Whether the domain uses punycode/IDN encoding (xn--), the vector for homograph attacks that impersonate brands with lookalike characters
`isIpAddress`Premium	boolean	`false`	Whether a raw IP address was used in place of a domain, a common trait of malicious links
`riskScore`Premium	number	`85`	Composite 0-100 risk score combining the blocklist match with structural phishing indicators — a heuristic supplement to isPhishing, not a verdict (higher is riskier)
`riskLevel`Premium	string	`"high"`	Risk band derived from the score: low, medium or high

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted	A key restriction or IP allow-list; see key scoping.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart; see rate limits.

Use cases

Email Security: Check links in emails before users click them to prevent phishing attacks
Browser Extensions: Build security extensions that warn users about phishing sites in real-time
URL Shortener Safety: Verify destination URLs before allowing shortened links to be created
Chat/Messaging Moderation: Automatically detect and block phishing links shared in chat platforms

Other ways to use Phishing Domain Checker

Set up Phishing Domain Checker on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.VerveKit →Reference →

Use it in Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.VerveSheets →Reference →

Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.VerveContext →Reference →

Phishing Domain Checker