# Domain status in Rails **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [October 19, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/domain-status-in-rails/177525 "2009-10-19T20:01:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jhaagmans)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/domain-status-in-rails/177525/1 "2009-10-19T20:01:06Z")
Hi, For an app I need users to put in the domain name their website is hosted on. It’s important that this domain works, so I’d like my app to check this. I’d like to be able to process the response. If it returns a 404 error or maybe even a 500 error I’d like it to have the method return true, but also a message saying there’s something the user needs to look into at their end. If the domain is unavailable (so there is no record in the zonefile) I’d like the method to return false and return an error message saying the domain is invalid. Of course, if it passes with a 200 message, I’d like it to return true and a success message. Is this possible and how? Thank you very much! ---
**Author:** ![jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jhaagmans)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/domain-status-in-rails/177525/2 "2009-10-19T20:19:51Z")
On Oct 19, 6:59 pm, jhaagmans [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > course, if it passes with a 200 message, I’d like it to return true > and a success message. > > Is this possible and how? Well you could use the ruby name resolving classes or make an http request with Net::HTTP (although beware of DNS servers that lie when the domain doesn’t exist) Fred ---
**Author:** ![jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jhaagmans)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/domain-status-in-rails/177525/3 "2009-10-19T20:36:49Z")
I’m not behind it right now, but would the following work? require ‘net/http’ url = URI.parse(params[:url]) http = Net::HTTP.new(url.host, url.port) response = http.send\_request(‘GET’, ‘/’) puts response.body Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jhaagmans)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/domain-status-in-rails/177525/4 "2009-10-19T22:53:47Z")
On Oct 19, 7:35 pm, jhaagmans [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > I’m not behind it right now, but would the following work? > > require ‘net/http’ > > url = URI.parse(params[:url]) > http = Net::HTTP.new(url.host, url.port) > response = http.send\_request(‘GET’, ‘/’) > puts response.body well it would check you can make a request to that domain (assuming no dns tomfoolery), obviously doesn’t check if there is any thing valid at that url Fred ---
**Author:** ![jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jhaagmans)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 9:54am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/domain-status-in-rails/177525/5 "2009-10-20T09:54:11Z")
Of course not, but it will give a 404 if there’s nothing there, for example? That’s what matters What would be the response if you check for an inactive domain? Is that simply no response at all? Because that could also mean it times out, no? I know it’s not 100% safe, the user also has some responsibility. Even a typo that resolves could validate, I have some other ideas for that, but I’d like to take out the 404s, 500s and what not. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jhaagmans)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/domain-status-in-rails/177525/6 "2009-10-20T19:40:15Z")
Well, it’s not actually valid, but we only want to filter out the bogus domains. All the other ones will be validated manually, because you simply can’t catch everything. It will be trial and error for the most part. Later on we might, for example, check its content or maybe even nameservers ([nsx.sedoparking.com](http://nsx.sedoparking.com) could be rejected by default). What I want for the moment is to reject a domain that’s not even registered and maybe later also any errors like 404 and 500. ---
**Author:** ![jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@jhaagmans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jhaagmans)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 10:21am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/domain-status-in-rails/177525/7 "2009-10-20T10:21:42Z")
On Oct 20, 8:52 am, jhaagmans [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Of course not, but it will give a 404 if there’s nothing there, for > example? That’s what matters > > What would be the response if you check for an inactive domain? Is > that simply no response at all? Because that could also mean it times > out, no? I know it’s not 100% safe, the user also has some > responsibility. Even a typo that resolves could validate, I have some > other ideas for that, but I’d like to take out the 404s, 500s and what > not. If a domain doesn’t resolve at all you should get an error to that effect. After that, all depends on your definition of inactive and valid. For example is a ‘you have successfully installed apache’ page valid ? Is a domain parking page valid ? Fred