README_local.md

Email Finder and Verifier API - Local Setup

Description

This project is a production-level API for finding and verifying email addresses similar to Hunter.io. The application is built using Flask and can be run locally.

Project Structure

• app.py: Main application file containing the API endpoints.
• models.py: Database models using SQLAlchemy.
• init_db.py: Script to initialize the database.
• requirements.txt: List of Python dependencies.
• Procfile: Configuration for Heroku deployment (not needed for local setup).
• README_local.md: Instructions for local setup and usage.

Local Setup

Prerequisites

• Python 3 installed on your machine
• Pip (Python package installer) installed

Step 1: Set Up a Virtual Environment

1. Open a terminal and navigate to the directory where you extracted the project.
2. Create a virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv env

3. Activate the virtual environment:
   • On Windows:

     .\env\Scripts\activate

   • On macOS and Linux:

     source env/bin/activate

Step 2: Install Dependencies

1. Install the required libraries:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 3: Initialize the Database

1. Initialize the SQLite database:

   python init_db.py

Step 4: Run the Application

1. Start the Flask application:

   python app.py

2. The application should now be running at http://localhost:5000.

Usage

1. Endpoint to Find Emails:

   • URL: /find_emails
   • Method: POST
   • Payload: multipart/form-data with a CSV file containing domains
   • Example:

     curl -X POST -F "file=@domains.csv" http://localhost:5000/find_emails

2. CSV File Format:

   • The CSV file should have a single column with each row containing a domain name.
   • Example:

     example.com
     anotherdomain.com
     

Note

• Ensure your CSV file is properly formatted and only contains domain names.
• The API will scrape and verify emails for each domain in the CSV file.