---
title: Email Services
description: 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 reci
---

# 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 | Best For | Notes |
|----------|----------|-------|
| **Amazon SES** | High volume, cost-sensitive | Lowest cost at scale; requires AWS account |
| **SendGrid** | Marketing campaigns | Excellent deliverability; strong analytics |
| **Postmark** | Transactional emails | Fast, reliable; best-in-class support |
| **Mailgun** | Developers, flexibility | Powerful API; developer-friendly |
| **Mandrill** | MailChimp users | Built-in with MailChimp; being phased out |
| **SMTP** | Custom/self-hosted | Any SMTP server (Gmail, Office 365, etc.) |

### 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](/docs/general/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](https://console.aws.amazon.com/)
- 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](https://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](https://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](https://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:**

| Provider | Host | Port | Encryption |
|----------|------|------|-----------|
| **Gmail** | `smtp.gmail.com` | 587 | TLS |
| **Office 365** | `smtp.office365.com` | 587 | TLS |
| **Outlook** | `smtp-mail.outlook.com` | 587 | TLS |
| **Yahoo Mail** | `smtp.mail.yahoo.com` | 465 | SSL |

**Gmail-Specific Setup:**
- Use an [App Password](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833), not your regular password
- Enable "[Less secure app access](https://myaccount.google.com/lesssecureapps)" 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](/docs/features/campaigns)

**Need help?**
- Review individual [provider documentation](https://docs.sendgrid.com/)
- Check the [Troubleshooting Guide](/docs/troubleshooting)
- Contact your email service provider's support team

**Next to set up:**
- [Add subscribers](/docs/features/subscribers)
- [Create email templates](/docs/features/template)
- [Create and send campaigns](/docs/features/campaigns)