Reserved domains for test e-mail addresses

If a test sends an e-mail to a made-up address, the domain decides whether a stranger receives it.

What RFC 2606 reserves

RFC 2606 (Reserved Top Level DNS Names) reserves the second-level names example.com, example.net and example.org, and four top-level names: .test, .example, .invalid and .localhost. In its words, .test is recommended for use in testing of current or new DNS related code, .example for documentation or as examples, and .invalid is intended for names that are sure to be invalid and obviously so at a glance. The names are reserved so that no one can register them, and so that they are not used by real people.

What the generator uses

Every e-mail address that the generator makes ends in @example.com, for example aarav.sharma1@example.com. The part before the @ has the first name, the last name and the row number, so every address is different.

Good habits

1. Use these domains in documents, tests and screenshots.
2. Do not use a real company's domain in an example: someone may receive the mail.
3. Use .invalid when you want an address that must always fail, for example to test error handling.
4. Do not rely on a mail server to reject example domains: block sending in test systems.

This is an independent guide. It is not connected with the IETF, OWASP or any company named here. Facts were read on 14 November 2026 from the pages named on each page. All people, e-mail addresses and amounts made by the generator are invented.