# Address Verification > Clean, standardize, and validate US addresses using USPS CASS-certified data. Address Verification (also known as address cleansing) takes a complete address and validates it against authoritative postal data, returning a standardized, deliverable address or an error if the address cannot be verified. ## When to Use Address Verification[​](#when-to-use-address-verification "Direct link to When to Use Address Verification") * **Data Quality**: Clean existing address databases or spreadsheets * **Form Validation**: Verify addresses after form submission * **Order Processing**: Validate shipping addresses before fulfillment * **CRM Integration**: Ensure accurate customer addresses ## API Endpoint[​](#api-endpoint "Direct link to API Endpoint") ``` POST https://api.addresszen.com/v1/verify/addresses ``` ## Authentication[​](#authentication "Direct link to Authentication") Include your API key as a query parameter: ``` ?api_key=ak_test ``` ## Request Format[​](#request-format "Direct link to Request Format") The API accepts addresses in three flexible formats: ### Option 1: Full Address String[​](#option-1-full-address-string "Direct link to Option 1: Full Address String") Submit the complete address as a single string: ``` { "query": "123 Main St, Springfield, CO 81073-1119" } ``` ### Option 2: Address with ZIP Code[​](#option-2-address-with-zip-code "Direct link to Option 2: Address with ZIP Code") Separate the street address from the ZIP code: ``` { "query": "123 Main St, Springfield CO", "zip_code": "81073-1119" } ``` ### Option 3: Address with City and State[​](#option-3-address-with-city-and-state "Direct link to Option 3: Address with City and State") Provide structured address components: ``` { "query": "123 Main St", "city": "Springfield", "state": "CO" } ``` ## Example Implementation[​](#example-implementation "Direct link to Example Implementation") ### cURL[​](#curl "Direct link to cURL") ``` curl -X POST "https://api.addresszen.com/v1/verify/addresses?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "query": "123 Main St, Springfield, CO 81073" }' ``` ### JavaScript (Fetch)[​](#javascript-fetch "Direct link to JavaScript (Fetch)") ``` const verifyAddress = async (address) => { const response = await fetch( "https://api.addresszen.com/v1/verify/addresses?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY", { method: "POST", headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json", }, body: JSON.stringify({ query: address, }), }, ); if (!response.ok) { throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`); } return await response.json(); }; // Usage verifyAddress("123 Main St, Springfield, CO 81073") .then((result) => console.log(result)) .catch((error) => console.error("Verification failed:", error)); ``` ### Python[​](#python "Direct link to Python") ``` import requests def verify_address(address): url = "https://api.addresszen.com/v1/verify/addresses" params = { "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY" } headers = { "Content-Type": "application/json" } data = { "query": address } response = requests.post(url, json=data, headers=headers, params=params) response.raise_for_status() return response.json() # Usage result = verify_address("123 Main St, Springfield, CO 81073") print(result) ``` ### Node.js (Axios)[​](#nodejs-axios "Direct link to Node.js (Axios)") ``` const axios = require("axios"); const verifyAddress = async (address) => { try { const response = await axios.post( "https://api.addresszen.com/v1/verify/addresses?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY", { query: address }, { headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json", }, }, ); return response.data; } catch (error) { console.error("Verification error:", error.response?.data || error.message); throw error; } }; // Usage verifyAddress("123 Main St, Springfield, CO 81073").then((result) => console.log(result), ); ``` ## Response Format[​](#response-format "Direct link to Response Format") A successful verification returns the standardized address components: ``` { "result": { "query": "8 Morgan Ave Cullman, AL, 35058-0138", "query_state": "", "query_city": "", "query_zip_code": "", "count": 1, "address_line_one": "8 Morgan Ave", "address_line_two": "", "city": "Cullman", "state": "AL", "zip_code": "35058", "country_iso_2": "US", "match_information": "Single Response - The delivery address was found in the National Database and no further information was required.", "confidence": 1, "fit": 1, "match": { "address1": "8 Morgan Ave", "address2": "", "address3": "", "area_code": "256", "carrier_route": "R015", "check_digit": "9", "city": "Cullman", "city_abbreviation": "", "congressional_district": "04", "country_code": "US", "county": "Cullman", "day_light_savings": true, "delivery_point": "", "dpv": "N", "dpv_cmra": "", "dpv_footnotes": "AAM3", "dpv_no_stat": "", "dpv_vacant": "", "elot": "", "finance_number": "012220", "fips_county_code": "043", "firm": "", "footnotes": "0<", "geo_coded": true, "lacs_indicator": "", "lacs_link_footnote": "", "lacs_link_indicator": "", "latitude": "34.23", "longitude": "-86.74375", "parsed_pmb_designator": "", "parsed_pmb_number": "", "parsed_post_directional": "", "parsed_pre_directional": "", "parsed_primary_number": "8", "parsed_street_name": "Morgan", "parsed_suffix": "Ave", "parsed_unit_designator": "", "parsed_unit_number": "", "rdi": "", "record_type": "S", "state": "AL", "suite_link_footnote": "", "time_zone": "CST", "urbanization": "", "zip_code": "35058" } }, "code": 2000, "message": "Success" } ``` ## Error Handling[​](#error-handling "Direct link to Error Handling") The API returns appropriate HTTP status codes: * **200 OK**: Address successfully verified * **400 Bad Request**: Invalid request format or parameters * **401 Unauthorized**: Invalid or missing API key * **429 Too Many Requests**: Rate limit exceeded ## Best Practices[​](#best-practices "Direct link to Best Practices") 1. **Batch Processing**: For multiple addresses, consider implementing queue-based processing with appropriate rate limiting 2. **Error Handling**: Always handle cases where addresses cannot be verified 3. **Caching**: Cache verified addresses to reduce API calls for repeated verifications 4. **Input Sanitization**: Clean input data before submission (remove extra spaces, standardize abbreviations) ## Rate Limits[​](#rate-limits "Direct link to Rate Limits") Please refer to your account dashboard for current rate limits. Contact support if you need higher limits for bulk processing. ## Next Steps[​](#next-steps "Direct link to Next Steps") * [View API Reference](/docs/api/address-verify.md) * [USPS Address Data Model](/docs/data/usps.md) * [Set up API Keys](/docs/guides/api-key.md)