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The Username Search feature allows you to discover social media profiles, accounts, and online presence associated with a specific username across hundreds of platforms.

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How It Works

Iris searches for usernames across multiple OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) data sources that maintain databases of platform username patterns and validation rules.
1

Enter Username

Input the username you want to search for. Usernames are case-sensitive and should not include the @ symbol.
2

Select OSINT Sources

Choose which OSINT sources to query:
  • WhatsMyName - Community-maintained database of web services
  • Sherlock - Social network username checker
  • Maigret - Extended username search with additional platforms
3

Real-time Results

Watch as Iris checks each platform in real-time using streaming results. Found profiles are displayed immediately with:
  • Platform name and category
  • Direct URL to the profile
  • Response time
  • HTTP status verification

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OSINT Sources

WhatsMyName is a community-driven project that maintains a database of websites and platforms where usernames can be checked.Features:
  • 600+ supported sites
  • Categorized platforms (social, gaming, forums, etc.)
  • Regular community updates
  • HTTP-based detection

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Technical Implementation

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Search Process

The username checker uses an async generator pattern to stream results in real-time:
lib/username/checker.ts:27
export async function* checkUsername(
    options: UsernameCheckOptions
): AsyncGenerator<SearchProgress> {
    const { username, sources, config: customConfig } = options;
    const config = { ...DEFAULT_CHECKER_CONFIG, ...customConfig };

    const siteCounts = await getSiteCounts();
    let totalSites = 0; 
    for (const source of sources) {
        totalSites += siteCounts[source];
    }

    yield {
        type: 'progress',
        data: { total: totalSites, checked: 0, found: 0 },
    };
    // ... continues checking sites
}

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Result Types

Each check returns a structured result:
lib/username/types/results.ts:6
export interface CheckResult {
    site: string;              // Platform name
    source: OsintSource;       // Which source found it
    url: string;               // Direct profile URL
    status: 'found' | 'not_found' | 'error' | 'checking';
    statusCode?: number;       // HTTP status code
    responseTime?: number;     // Time taken in ms
    error?: string;            // Error message if failed
    category?: string;         // Platform category
}

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Progress Streaming

Results are streamed via Server-Sent Events (SSE) for real-time updates:
lib/username/types/results.ts:20
export interface SearchProgress {
    type: 'progress' | 'result' | 'complete' | 'error';
    data: {
        total?: number;        // Total sites to check
        checked?: number;      // Sites checked so far
        found?: number;        // Profiles found
        source?: OsintSource;  // Current source
        result?: CheckResult;  // Individual result
        message?: string;      // Status message
    };
}

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Configuration Options

You can customize the search behavior:
Configure how long to wait for each site to respond before marking it as a timeout.Default: 10 seconds per site
Control how many sites are checked simultaneously to balance speed and reliability.Default: 10 concurrent requests
Enable automatic retries for failed requests due to network issues.Default: 1 retry attempt

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Response Data

Each found profile includes:
  • Direct URL - Click to visit the profile immediately
  • Category - Platform type (social media, forum, gaming, etc.)
  • Response Time - How quickly the platform responded
  • Verification - HTTP status code confirming the profile exists

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Best Practices

Rate Limiting: Some platforms may rate-limit requests. If you receive many errors, try:
  • Using fewer OSINT sources simultaneously
  • Reducing concurrent requests in settings
  • Waiting between searches
Username Variations: Try searching common variations:
  • With/without underscores: john_doe vs johndoe
  • With/without numbers: john123 vs john
  • Different capitalizations may yield different results on some platforms

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API Usage

You can integrate username search into your own applications: 
import { checkUsername, OSINT_SOURCES } from '@/lib/username';

const options = {
    username: 'johndoe',
    sources: ['whatsmyname', 'sherlock', 'maigret'],
};

for await (const progress of checkUsername(options)) {
    if (progress.type === 'result') {
        console.log('Found:', progress.data.result);
    }
}

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Privacy Considerations

This tool queries publicly accessible websites. No authentication or private data access is performed. All information returned is publicly available on the internet.

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