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Connect an SMTP server

4 min read
Published
Updated
Topic
Email

SMTP is the standard way mail programs hand email to a mail service. Use it when your service offers SMTP and you prefer it, or when you run your own mail server.

Before you start, read Connect your email provider. This article covers what is specific to SMTP.

Note

If your service has its own entry under Email services, that is usually the simpler choice. SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark and Amazon SES all have one.

Important

Your SMTP service only sends mail from addresses and domains that it has verified for you. Verify your From address with the service first. IvaBoard refuses From addresses on its own domains.

Who can use it

Only a workspace owner or admin can connect a provider. Only workspace owners and admins can open Email providers.

Connect another SMTP server

This example uses Other SMTP server. For the ready-made options, see the table below.

  1. Open Email providers in your workspace settings.
  2. Select Other SMTP server under Through SMTP.
  3. Type a short name in Name.
  4. Type the address your users see in From address.
  5. Type the host name of your server, such as smtp.example.com, in Server host name.
  6. Choose the port in Port. Most servers use 587.
  7. Choose STARTTLS or TLS from the start in Security.
  8. Type the user name your server asks for in User name (optional). Leave it empty if your server needs none.
  9. Type the password your server asks for in Password (optional). Leave it empty if your server needs none.
Workspace settings menu with Email providers marked 1.
Email providers page with the Other SMTP server tile marked 2.
Connect Other SMTP server form with each field marked by its step number, from 3 to 6.
Connect Other SMTP server form, lower fields, with the fields marked 7 to 9.

You can also type a From name (optional), the name beside the address. An IP address is not accepted as the host name. Only ports 25, 465, 587 and 2525 are allowed. STARTTLS works on ports 587, 25 and 2525. TLS from the start is for port 465. IvaBoard always checks the server's certificate, so a server with an expired, self-signed or mismatched certificate cannot be used.

Connect and check

  1. Select Connect provider.
  2. Select Check connection on your SMTP card.
  3. The result shows on the card within about a minute. If it does not, reload the page.
  4. Select Send a test email once the check has passed.
  5. Reload the page to see the result.
Connect Other SMTP server form with Connect provider marked 1.
Other SMTP server connection waiting for a check, with Check connection marked 2.
Other SMTP server connection after a passed check, with Send a test email marked 4.

The test email goes to your own verified address, not to your users. When both pass, the card shows Active. Then choose the provider for a product in its email sender settings. Connect your email provider explains how.

Ready-made options

Under Through SMTP, these options already know the server address, port and security setting, so you do not enter them. Each one still asks for Name and From address.

OptionYou fill inWhere to find it
Gmail (app password)Gmail address, App passwordUse an app password, not your Gmail password. Create one at myaccount.google.com/apppasswords.
Amazon SES (SMTP)AWS region, SMTP username, SMTP passwordYour AWS SMTP credentials.
Mailjet (SMTP)API key, Secret keyYour Mailjet API key (the public one) and secret key (the private one).
SMTP2GOSMTP username, SMTP passwordYour SMTP2GO SMTP user name and password.
Postmark (SMTP)Server API tokenPostmark uses the server API token as both user name and password, so you enter it once. Find it under your server's API Tokens tab.
MailerSend (SMTP)SMTP username, SMTP passwordFrom your MailerSend domain settings. Create an SMTP user under Domains, then SMTP in MailerSend.
SendGrid (SMTP)API keyCreate it at app.sendgrid.com/settings/api_keys. The user name is always "apikey", so you do not enter it.
Mailgun US (SMTP)SMTP username, SMTP passwordFound in your Mailgun domain settings.
Mailgun EU (SMTP)SMTP username, SMTP passwordThe same, for a Mailgun account in Europe.

Bounce reports

Note

Bounce reports are not available for this provider yet. The provider's own suppression list applies.

Example

For example, Sam connects a mail server for Acme Notes. Sam selects Other SMTP server under Through SMTP, types Acme Notes SMTP in Name and [email protected] in From address. Then Sam types smtp.example.com in Server host name, chooses 587 in Port and STARTTLS in Security, and types the user name and password that the server gave. Sam selects Connect provider and checks the connection.

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