[trevorah]

just checking the return code on a GET request. src is on github if you're curious. You're right though, looks like the domain lookups need a bit of work.

[rajivm]

You should do a "whois" lookup for the domain. The return code for a 'get' request on the domain has no bearing on its availability -- many parked domains do not even have DNS configured, let alone HTTP.

[cbhl]

I'd be wary of doing automated whois lookups, which might be considered abusive / against terms of service depending on which server you hit.

[trevorah]

Good point. This doesnt sound like a quick fix.

[trevorah]

Very true. This requires a little more work than my current hack. I'll see if there is a whois package for node...

[nwh]

The quickest way I've found is to do a DNS lookup, and if that fails, hit the WHOIS.