SMTP Interface

EmailEngine provides an SMTP interface that allows you to send emails using standard SMTP protocol instead of the REST API. EmailEngine acts as an SMTP proxy - it accepts messages via SMTP and routes them through the appropriate email account. This is useful for legacy applications or when you need to integrate with tools that only support SMTP.

Why Use the SMTP Interface

The SMTP interface is beneficial when:

• Legacy applications: Integration with older systems that only support SMTP
• Email clients: Using desktop or mobile email clients
• Third-party tools: Tools that require SMTP configuration
• Standard libraries: Using standard SMTP libraries in your code
• Drop-in replacement: Replacing an existing SMTP server without code changes

How It Works

When the SMTP interface is enabled:

1. EmailEngine listens on an SMTP port (default: 2525)
2. Clients connect using SMTP protocol
3. Authentication determines which account to use
4. EmailEngine routes the message to the appropriate account's SMTP server
5. Messages are queued just like with the Submit API
6. Delivery status tracked via webhooks

Enabling the SMTP Interface

Via Settings API (Recommended)

Configure the SMTP interface using the Settings API:

curl -XPOST "https://ee.example.com/v1/settings" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "smtpServerEnabled": true,
    "smtpServerPort": 2525,
    "smtpServerHost": "0.0.0.0",
    "smtpServerAuthEnabled": true,
    "smtpServerPassword": "optional-global-password"
  }'

Via Web Interface

Navigate to Configuration > SMTP Interface in the EmailEngine admin panel to configure the settings.

Configuration Options

Setting	Description	Default
smtpServerEnabled	Enable/disable SMTP interface	false
smtpServerPort	Port to listen on	2525
smtpServerHost	Host/interface to bind	0.0.0.0
smtpServerAuthEnabled	Require authentication	false
smtpServerPassword	Optional global password	-
smtpServerTLSEnabled	Enable TLS (implicit)	false

Restart EmailEngine

After changing configuration, restart EmailEngine for changes to take effect.

Authentication

Using Account ID and API Token

The most secure method is using account ID as username and API token as password:

// Example: Node.js with Nodemailer
const nodemailer = require('nodemailer');

const transporter = nodemailer.createTransport({
  host: 'emailengine.example.com',
  port: 2525,
  secure: false,
  auth: {
    user: 'example',  // Account ID
    pass: 'your-api-token'  // EmailEngine API token
  }
});

await transporter.sendMail({
  from: 'sender@example.com',
  to: 'recipient@example.com',
  subject: 'Test via SMTP Interface',
  text: 'Hello from SMTP Interface!'
});

Using Email Address

You can also use the email address as username:

# Example: Python smtplib
import smtplib
from email.mime.text import MIMEText

msg = MIMEText('Hello from SMTP Interface!')
msg['Subject'] = 'Test via SMTP Interface'
msg['From'] = 'sender@example.com'
msg['To'] = 'recipient@example.com'

server = smtplib.SMTP('emailengine.example.com', 2525)
server.login('sender@example.com', 'your-api-token')
server.send_message(msg)
server.quit()

Configuration Examples

Desktop Email Clients

Thunderbird

1. Go to Account Settings → Outgoing Server (SMTP)
2. Click Add
3. Configure:
   • Server Name: emailengine.example.com
   • Port: 2525
   • Connection security: None (or SSL/TLS if TLS is enabled on the server)
   • Authentication method: Normal password
   • Username: Account ID or email address
   • Password: API token

Apple Mail

1. Go to Mail → Preferences → Accounts
2. Select your account
3. Go to Server Settings
4. Configure Outgoing Mail Server:
   • Host Name: emailengine.example.com
   • Port: 2525
   • User Name: Account ID or email address
   • Password: API token

Programming Languages

Node.js (Nodemailer)

const nodemailer = require('nodemailer');

const transporter = nodemailer.createTransport({
  host: 'emailengine.example.com',
  port: 2525,
  secure: false,
  auth: {
    user: 'example-account',
    pass: process.env.EMAILENGINE_TOKEN
  }
});

async function sendEmail() {
  const info = await transporter.sendMail({
    from: '"Sender Name" <sender@example.com>',
    to: 'recipient@example.com',
    subject: 'Test Email',
    text: 'Plain text content',
    html: '<p>HTML content</p>',
    attachments: [
      {
        filename: 'document.pdf',
        path: './files/document.pdf'
      }
    ]
  });

  console.log('Message ID:', info.messageId);
}

sendEmail().catch(console.error);

Python (smtplib)

import smtplib
from email.mime.text import MIMEText
from email.mime.multipart import MIMEMultipart
from email.mime.base import MIMEBase
from email import encoders
import os

def send_email():
    # Create message
    msg = MIMEMultipart()
    msg['From'] = 'sender@example.com'
    msg['To'] = 'recipient@example.com'
    msg['Subject'] = 'Test Email'

    # Add body
    body = 'This is the email body'
    msg.attach(MIMEText(body, 'plain'))

    # Add attachment
    filename = 'document.pdf'
    with open(filename, 'rb') as attachment:
        part = MIMEBase('application', 'octet-stream')
        part.set_payload(attachment.read())

    encoders.encode_base64(part)
    part.add_header(
        'Content-Disposition',
        f'attachment; filename= {filename}'
    )
    msg.attach(part)

    # Send email
    server = smtplib.SMTP('emailengine.example.com', 2525)
    server.login('example-account', os.environ['EMAILENGINE_TOKEN'])
    server.send_message(msg)
    server.quit()

send_email()

PHP (PHPMailer)

<?php
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception;

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

$mail = new PHPMailer(true);

try {
    // Server settings
    $mail->isSMTP();
    $mail->Host       = 'emailengine.example.com';
    $mail->SMTPAuth   = true;
    $mail->Username   = 'example-account';
    $mail->Password   = getenv('EMAILENGINE_TOKEN');
    $mail->SMTPSecure = false;  // No encryption by default; use PHPMailer::ENCRYPTION_SMTPS if TLS is enabled
    $mail->Port       = 2525;

    // Recipients
    $mail->setFrom('sender@example.com', 'Sender Name');
    $mail->addAddress('recipient@example.com', 'Recipient Name');

    // Content
    $mail->isHTML(true);
    $mail->Subject = 'Test Email';
    $mail->Body    = '<p>HTML content</p>';
    $mail->AltBody = 'Plain text content';

    // Attachments
    $mail->addAttachment('/path/to/document.pdf');

    $mail->send();
    echo 'Message has been sent';
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Message could not be sent. Error: {$mail->ErrorInfo}";
}
?>

Ruby (Mail gem)

require 'mail'

Mail.defaults do
  delivery_method :smtp, {
    address: 'emailengine.example.com',
    port: 2525,
    user_name: 'example-account',
    password: ENV['EMAILENGINE_TOKEN'],
    authentication: 'plain',
    enable_starttls_auto: false
  }
end

mail = Mail.new do
  from     'sender@example.com'
  to       'recipient@example.com'
  subject  'Test Email'
  body     'Plain text content'

  add_file '/path/to/document.pdf'
end

mail.deliver!

TLS/SSL Support

Enabling TLS

Enable TLS for encrypted connections using the Settings API or web interface:

curl -XPOST "https://ee.example.com/v1/settings" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "smtpServerTLSEnabled": true
  }'

When TLS is enabled, the SMTP server uses implicit TLS (clients must connect with SSL from the start).

Certificate Configuration

Provide custom TLS certificate using environment variables:

EENGINE_SMTP_TLS_KEY=/path/to/private.key
EENGINE_SMTP_TLS_CERT=/path/to/certificate.crt

Additional TLS options available with the EENGINE_SMTP_TLS_ prefix:

• EENGINE_SMTP_TLS_CA - CA certificate
• EENGINE_SMTP_TLS_CIPHERS - TLS ciphers
• EENGINE_SMTP_TLS_MIN_VERSION - Minimum TLS version
• EENGINE_SMTP_TLS_MAX_VERSION - Maximum TLS version

Features and Limitations

Supported Features

• [YES] Standard SMTP protocol
• [YES] Authentication (PLAIN, LOGIN)
• [YES] TLS encryption (implicit TLS when enabled)
• [YES] Multiple recipients (TO, CC, BCC)
• [YES] Attachments
• [YES] Custom headers
• [YES] HTML and plain text
• [YES] Automatic queuing and retries
• [YES] Webhook notifications

Limitations

• [NO] Cannot specify custom sendAt (scheduled sending)
• [NO] Cannot use mail merge via SMTP
• [NO] Cannot reference templates by ID
• [NO] Cannot use reply/forward reference mode
• [NO] Limited access to EmailEngine-specific features

For advanced features, use the REST API instead.

Monitoring and Webhooks

Messages sent via the SMTP interface are treated the same as messages sent via REST API:

• Queued in the outbox queue
• Automatic retry logic
• Webhook notifications (messageSent, messageDeliveryError, messageFailed)
• Visible in Bull Board queue UI

Query queue status:

curl "https://ee.example.com/v1/account/example/outbox" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

When to Use SMTP Interface vs REST API

Use SMTP Interface When:

• Integrating with legacy systems
• Using desktop email clients
• Tools only support SMTP
• Minimal code changes desired
• Standard SMTP features sufficient

Use REST API When:

• Building new applications
• Need advanced features (mail merge, templates, scheduled sending)
• Need programmatic control
• Want detailed delivery tracking
• Performance is critical (REST is faster)