Email Services

Overview

Laravel Mail Platform requires at least one email service provider to send campaigns. An email service is the backend that actually delivers your emails to recipients' inboxes.

You can configure multiple email services simultaneously, which gives you flexibility to:

• Use different providers for different campaign types (e.g., marketing vs. transactional)
• Distribute volume across services to avoid rate limits
• Switch providers without downtime
• Test different services before committing

Example: Send newsletters through Amazon SES (cost-effective for volume) and use Postmark for time-sensitive transactional emails (faster delivery and better support).

Supported Email Service Providers

Laravel Mail Platform integrates with six major email service providers:

Provider Comparison

Volume & Cost:

• Best value: Amazon SES (cheapest at scale)
• Mid-tier: SendGrid, Mailgun
• Premium: Postmark (higher cost, exceptional service)

Ease of Setup:

• Easiest: Postmark, SendGrid (clear dashboards)
• Developer-focused: Mailgun, SMTP
• Complex: Amazon SES (AWS account required)

Deliverability:

• Excellent: Postmark, SendGrid, Amazon SES
• Good: Mailgun, Mandrill
• Dependent on setup: SMTP

Before Adding an Email Service

Before configuring any service, you'll need:

1. An account with your chosen email service provider
2. API credentials — API key, secret key, or SMTP credentials (varies by provider)
3. Verified sending domain — Most providers require you to verify ownership of your sending domain
4. Application Key — Your Laravel Mail Platform APP_KEY (set during Configuration)

Important: Store your API credentials securely. Never share them or commit them to version control.

Adding an Email Service

Step 1: Navigate to Email Services

1. Log in to Laravel Mail Platform
2. Go to Settings → Email Services
3. Click Add Email Service or New Service

Step 2: Choose Your Provider

Select the email service provider you want to add from the dropdown list.

Step 3: Enter Credentials

Fill in the provider-specific credentials. See provider guides below for exact details.

Step 4: Test the Connection

Click Test Connection to verify your credentials are correct. Laravel Mail Platform will send a test email to confirm the service is working.

Step 5: Save

Click Save to store your email service. Credentials are encrypted in the database.

Provider Setup Guides

Amazon SES

Best for: High-volume senders seeking the lowest cost per email.

Setup time: 10–15 minutes

Prerequisites:

• AWS account (free tier available)
• AWS Access Key ID and Secret Access Key
• Verified sending domain in SES

Steps:

1. Create AWS credentials:

• Log in to AWS Console
• Go to Identity and Access Management (IAM)
• Create a new user with SES permissions
• Generate Access Key ID and Secret Access Key

2. Verify your sending domain:

• Go to Simple Email Service (SES)
• Click Verified Identities
• Add your domain and verify ownership (DNS records)

3. Request production access:

• By default, SES accounts are in sandbox mode (limited sending)
• Submit a request to move to production

4. Add to Laravel Mail Platform:

• Provider: Amazon SES
• AWS Access Key ID: AKIA...
• AWS Secret Access Key: wJ8+...
• Region: us-east-1 (or your region)
• From Address: Your verified domain email

Cost: $0.10 per 1,000 emails (lowest cost option)

Pros: Extremely affordable at scale; AWS ecosystem integration Cons: Sandbox mode restriction; steeper learning curve

SendGrid

Best for: Marketing campaigns with strong analytics and warm support.

Setup time: 5–10 minutes

Prerequisites:

• SendGrid account (free trial available)
• SendGrid API Key
• Verified sending domain

Steps:

1. Sign up for SendGrid:

• Create account at sendgrid.com
• Verify your email address

2. Create an API key:

• Go to Settings → API Keys
• Click Create API Key
• Choose "Restricted Access"
• Enable "Mail Send" permission
• Copy the API key (you won't see it again)

3. Verify your sender domain:

• Go to Settings → Sender Authentication
• Follow domain verification steps

4. Add to Laravel Mail Platform:

• Provider: SendGrid
• API Key: Your SendGrid API key
• From Address: Your verified domain

Cost: Free tier (100 emails/day); paid plans start at $20/month

Pros: Great deliverability; excellent UI; strong support Cons: Higher cost than SES at volume

Postmark

Best for: Transactional emails requiring speed and reliability.

Setup time: 5–10 minutes

Prerequisites:

• Postmark account
• Server API Token
• Verified sending domain

Steps:

1. Sign up for Postmark:

• Create account at postmarkapp.com

2. Create a server:

• Go to Servers
• Click + Add Server
• Name it (e.g., "Laravel Mail Platform")
• Copy the Server API Token

3. Verify your sender domain:

• Go to Senders
• Add your domain and verify DNS records

4. Add to Laravel Mail Platform:

• Provider: Postmark
• Server API Token: Your token
• From Address: Your verified domain

Cost: Pay-as-you-go ($1.50 per 1,000 emails) with volume discounts

Pros: Fastest delivery times; exceptional support; best for transactional Cons: Higher per-email cost; best for lower volumes

Mailgun

Best for: Developers who want flexibility and powerful APIs.

Setup time: 5–10 minutes

Prerequisites:

• Mailgun account (free tier available)
• API Key and Domain Name
• Verified sending domain

Steps:

1. Sign up for Mailgun:

• Create account at mailgun.com

2. Add a domain:

• Go to Sending → Domains
• Click Add New Domain
• Add your domain (e.g., mail.example.com)
• Verify DNS records

3. Get your API credentials:

• Go to API Security
• Copy your API Key
• Note your domain name (from Domains page)

4. Add to Laravel Mail Platform:

• Provider: Mailgun
• API Key: Your Mailgun API key
• Domain: Your Mailgun domain (e.g., mail.example.com)
• Region: US or EU
• From Address: Your verified domain

Cost: Free tier (limited); paid starts at $35/month

Pros: Developer-friendly; powerful API; good flexibility Cons: Steeper learning curve than SendGrid

Mandrill

Best for: Users with existing MailChimp accounts (being phased out).

Setup time: 5 minutes

Prerequisites:

• Mandrill account (via MailChimp)
• Mandrill API Key
• Verified sending domain

Steps:

1. Get your Mandrill API key:

• Log in to MailChimp
• Go to Extras → Mandrill
• Click Settings
• Copy your API Key

2. Add to Laravel Mail Platform:

• Provider: Mandrill
• API Key: Your Mandrill API key
• From Address: Your verified domain

Cost: Included with MailChimp (deprecated service)

Pros: Integrated with MailChimp Cons: Mandrill is being phased out; consider migrating to SendGrid or Postmark

Note: Mandrill support is being discontinued. New users should choose SendGrid or Postmark instead.

SMTP (Custom Mail Server)

Best for: Self-hosted mail servers or services like Gmail, Office 365, or custom SMTP providers.

Setup time: 5–10 minutes

Prerequisites:

• SMTP server address, port, and authentication credentials

Steps:

1. Gather SMTP credentials:

• SMTP Host (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
• SMTP Port (usually 587 for TLS or 465 for SSL)
• Username (usually your email address)
• Password or app-specific password
• Encryption type (TLS or SSL)

2. Add to Laravel Mail Platform:

• Provider: SMTP
• Host: Your SMTP server address
• Port: 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL)
• Username: Your email or SMTP username
• Password: Your password
• Encryption: tls or ssl
• From Address: Your email address

Common SMTP Providers:

Gmail-Specific Setup:

• Use an App Password, not your regular password
• Enable "Less secure app access" if using regular Gmail password

Cost: Free (if using Gmail/Outlook); varies for other services

Pros: Maximum flexibility; works with any SMTP server Cons: You're responsible for deliverability and server reliability

Managing Email Services

Viewing Your Services

Navigate to Settings → Email Services to see all configured services:

• Service name and provider type
• Verification status
• Last tested date
• Actions (Edit, Test, Delete)

Testing a Service

To verify a service is working correctly:

1. Click Test next to the service
2. Enter a test email address where you want to receive the test message
3. Click Send Test Email
4. Check your inbox (and spam folder) for the test message

Testing is recommended whenever you add or modify credentials.

Editing a Service

To update credentials:

1. Click Edit next to the service
2. Update the necessary fields
3. Click Test Connection to verify
4. Click Save

Deleting a Service

To remove a service:

1. Click Delete next to the service
2. Confirm the deletion
3. Any campaigns using this service will no longer be able to send

Warning: Deleting a service cannot be undone. Ensure no active campaigns depend on it.

Setting a Default Service

When creating a new campaign, you can select which email service to use. You can also set a default service that's automatically selected for new campaigns.

Important Security Notes

Credential Storage

All email service credentials are encrypted in your database using your application's APP_KEY. This means:

✅ Credentials are secure at rest ✅ Credentials are visible only to admin users ⚠️ If your APP_KEY is lost or changed, you'll need to re-enter all credentials

Critical: Back up your APP_KEY in a secure location. Store it separately from your .env file.

Lost API Keys

If you lose an API key:

1. Generate a new key from your email provider's dashboard
2. Update it in Laravel Mail Platform (edit the service)
3. Test the new key to confirm it works
4. Delete the old key from your provider's dashboard

Best Practices

• Use separate API keys or accounts for different environments (development, staging, production)
• Rotate credentials periodically
• Use restricted permissions (e.g., "Mail Send" only) when available
• Never share credentials with team members; use your provider's team features instead
• Monitor email deliverability and bounce rates regularly

Using Multiple Services

Why Multiple Services?

• Redundancy — If one service fails, switch to another
• Specialization — Use SES for newsletters, Postmark for transactional
• Volume distribution — Spread load across multiple providers
• Cost optimization — Use different services for different use cases

Choosing a Service per Campaign

When creating a campaign, you'll select which email service to use:

1. Go to Campaigns → New Campaign
2. Select your email service from the dropdown
3. Configure the campaign normally
4. Send using that service

Load Balancing

If sending very high volumes, consider:

• Splitting subscriber lists across multiple services
• Using rate limiting to avoid provider caps
• Monitoring queue health and adjusting workers

Troubleshooting Email Service Issues

"Connection refused" or "Authentication failed"

• Verify your API key or SMTP credentials are correct
• Confirm you copied the full key (no extra spaces)
• Check that the account hasn't been suspended
• Ensure your IP is whitelisted (if your provider requires it)

"Email appears in spam folder"

• Sender reputation: Send a small test volume first to warm up
• SPF/DKIM records: Configure DNS records as recommended by your provider
• Subject line: Avoid spam trigger words ("Free," "Urgent," etc.)
• Content: Check email content for spam indicators
• Unsubscribe link: Include a working unsubscribe link

"Rate limit exceeded"

Your provider is throttling requests. Solutions:

• Increase queue workers to spread sends over time
• Choose a provider with higher limits (Postmark, SendGrid)
• Contact your provider to increase your limit
• Reduce the number of recipients in one campaign

"Service not sending emails"

• Verify the service is still configured in Settings → Email Services
• Check that campaigns are assigned to this service
• Ensure queue workers are running (php artisan queue:work)
• Review logs in storage/logs/laravel.log

Provider Recommendations by Use Case

High-volume newsletters: Amazon SES Marketing campaigns: SendGrid Transactional emails: Postmark Developer flexibility: Mailgun Existing MailChimp user: Mandrill (but migrate soon) Self-hosted/custom: SMTP

Next Steps

✅ Email service added? You're ready to create your first campaign

Need help?

• Review individual provider documentation
• Check the Troubleshooting Guide
• Contact your email service provider's support team

Next to set up:

• Add subscribers
• Create email templates
• Create and send campaigns