DEV Community: Toolzr

Toolzr's Domain Availability Checker as an Alternative to TLD-List.com

Toolzr — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:52:03 +0000

If you’ve ever searched for a domain name, chances are you’ve used TLD-List.com to compare prices and check availability across different top-level domains (TLDs). While TLD-List.com has been a go-to resource for many users, it has suffered from frequent downtimes, making it unreliable for those who need quick domain availability checks. This is where our Domain Availability Checker comes in as a simple alternative.

The Problem with TLD-List.com

TLD-List.com has been a go-to resource for checking domain availability and comparing domain prices across different registrars. However, the website is often down, making it unreliable for users who need to check domain availability quickly.

There are alternatives like DomComp.com and TLDes.com when it comes to domain price comparison, but these services don't provide such a good way to check domain availability across different popular TLDs as TLD-List.com does. This leaves a gap for users who are specifically looking for a reliable tool to check if a domain is available.

Introducing Our Domain Availability Checker

Our Domain Availability Checker is a free and simple tool designed to help users determine if a domain is available for registration. It uses the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) to query official domain records and determine whether a domain name is registered or available.

Key Features:

Supports multiple TLDs: If you enter a domain name without a TLD, the tool will check against common ones like .com, .net, .org, .io, .cc, .me, .info, .top, .online, and .xyz.
Works with any TLD: If you enter a fully qualified domain name (e.g., example.de), the tool will attempt to check its availability.
RDAP-based lookup: RDAP provides up-to-date domain registration information.
Backup DNS resolution check: Since RDAP can sometimes be unreliable, the tool also checks if a domain resolves to an IP address to improve accuracy.
No sign-ups or fees: It’s a completely free tool with no registration required.

How It Works

Enter a domain name (either with or without a TLD) into the input field.
If no TLD is provided, the tool automatically checks the domain against a set of popular TLDs.
The tool queries RDAP for registration data.
If RDAP indicates that a domain is available, an additional check is performed to see if the domain resolves to an IP address. This helps filter out false positives.
The availability status is displayed in real time.

Accuracy Considerations

While this tool provides a reliable way to check domain availability, it’s important to note that RDAP is not yet fully implemented across all registries. In rare cases, a domain may be incorrectly marked as available. However, the tool’s secondary DNS resolution check minimizes these inaccuracies.

For those who relied on TLD-List.com for quick domain availability checks, our Domain Availability Checker offers a robust alternative. With RDAP queries and a fallback DNS check, users can confidently check domain status without worrying about website downtimes.

Detecting Homoglyph Attacks with Toolzr’s Character Identifier

Toolzr — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:53:11 +0000

Phishing attacks often rely on visually deceptive characters to trick users into clicking malicious links or revealing sensitive information. These attacks exploit homoglyphs—characters from different writing systems that look almost identical but have different Unicode values.

To combat this, we’ve built the Character Identifier tool on Toolzr. It helps developers, security professionals, and system administrators analyze text and detect hidden character substitutions that could indicate phishing attempts.

🔍 How the Character Identifier Works

The Character Identifier breaks down text into individual characters and reveals their Unicode values and script origin. This allows you to quickly inspect strings that may contain deceptive characters.

Example: Detecting a Phishing Attempt

Consider the following URLs:

example.com  
exаmple.com

At first glance, they look identical. However, using the Character Identifier tool, we can see that the second URL contains a Cyrillic "а" (U+0430) instead of a Latin "a" (U+0061).

Character Breakdown:

Character	Unicode	Script
e	U+0065	Latin
x	U+0078	Latin
а	U+0430	Cyrillic
m	U+006D	Latin
p	U+0070	Latin
l	U+006C	Latin
e	U+0065	Latin
.	U+002E	Punctuation
c	U+0063	Latin
o	U+006F	Latin
m	U+006D	Latin

A quick scan with the Character Identifier immediately reveals the hidden homoglyph, helping security professionals identify potential phishing domains before users fall for them.

🛡️ Why This Matters

Homoglyph attacks aren’t limited to URLs. They also appear in code repositories, emails, and social engineering attacks. Developers and security teams can use the Character Identifier to:

Detect Unicode spoofing in source code (e.g., variables named with homoglyphs).
Identify misleading email addresses in phishing emails.
Verify domain names before clicking links.

🖥️ Try It Now

You can use the Character Identifier for free at Toolzr. Simply paste any text, and it will break down each character, showing its Unicode value and script origin.

Stay ahead of phishing attacks by verifying every character.

How Toolzr Was Built

Toolzr — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:45:58 +0000

Toolzr was created with a simple goal: to provide a collection of free, easy-to-use web tools to make life easier for developers, students, and professionals. The platform was born from its founders’ need to scratch their own itch. Every time a new tool was required for a task, it was added to Toolzr, building a growing arsenal of useful utilities.

The Development Journey

The idea for Toolzr started when the founders realized they often needed quick, reliable tools for various web development and productivity tasks. Instead of searching for or building temporary solutions repeatedly, they decided to create a single platform that could house these tools. Toolzr began as a passion project and has since evolved into a resource for developers worldwide.

The philosophy was straightforward: keep it simple, efficient, and accessible. By focusing on static pages and simple JavaScript, Toolzr ensures quick load times and compatibility across devices. Each tool was crafted with user experience in mind, allowing anyone, regardless of technical expertise, to use them effortlessly.

The Tech Stack

Toolzr relies on a lightweight and straightforward tech stack, focusing on speed and simplicity:

HTML5: Forms the backbone of each tool, ensuring semantic and clean code.
CSS: Provides the styling and layout, designed for both aesthetics and usability.
JavaScript: Powers the functionality of each tool, keeping interactions fast and seamless.
Static Pages: All tools are built as static pages, reducing server dependency and ensuring lightning-fast performance.

This combination keeps the platform efficient and easy to maintain, aligning with the founders’ goal of creating tools that just work.

Current Tools on Toolzr

Here’s a snapshot of the tools available on Toolzr:

Lorem Ipsum Generator: Quickly generate placeholder text for designs and projects.
Sort Lines Alphabetically: Organize text lines in ascending or descending order.
Password Generator: Create strong, secure passwords to protect your accounts.
URL Slug Generator: Convert titles into SEO-friendly URLs.
URL Cleaner: Remove unnecessary parameters from links.
Word Counter: Analyze text for word count, character count, and line count.
Duplicate Line Remover: Eliminate duplicate lines from your text.
Character Counter: Count characters in your text for precise limits.
Markdown Preview: View your markdown text in real-time.

Each tool is crafted with care, ensuring simplicity and reliability.

Lessons Learned

Building Toolzr has been a rewarding experience, offering valuable lessons:

Start Simple: You don’t need a complex setup to create something useful. A straightforward approach can go a long way.
Listen to Users: Feedback has been crucial in improving existing tools and adding new ones.
Focus on Performance: Static pages and lightweight JavaScript have made the platform fast and accessible.
Iterate Continuously: Toolzr is an evolving project—new tools are added as the need arises, ensuring the platform stays relevant.

What’s Next for Toolzr?

The journey doesn’t end here. Toolzr is constantly expanding its toolkit based on user needs and emerging trends. If there’s a tool you’d like to see, we’d love to hear from you!

Toolzr remains committed to its mission: simplifying tasks for developers and professionals everywhere. Check out the Toolzr platform, and discover how it can make your workflow more efficient.