How do I send account emails from my product?

To send account emails from your product, you generally want a setup like this:

1. Choose an email sending service

Don’t send account email directly from your app server or personal mailbox. Use an email provider such as:

• SendGrid
• Postmark
• Mailgun
• Amazon SES
• SparkPost

These handle deliverability, retries, bounce handling, and reputation better.

2. Use a dedicated sending domain or subdomain

Set up something like:

• mail.yourproduct.com
• no-reply.yourproduct.com

Then configure:

• SPF
• DKIM
• DMARC

This helps email reach inboxes and proves the messages are really from you.

3. Create email templates for account events

Common account emails include:

• Welcome / onboarding
• Email verification
• Password reset
• Security alerts
• Billing receipts
• Subscription changes
• Account deletion confirmation

Keep them clear, branded, and concise.

4. Send emails from your backend

When an event happens in your product:

• user signs up
• password reset requested
• payment succeeds
• account changes

your backend should trigger an email via your provider’s API or SMTP.

5. Make sure transactional emails are separate from marketing

Account emails are usually transactional, not marketing. That means:

• they’re triggered by user actions
• they should go out even if the user is unsubscribed from marketing
• they should not include promotional content unless appropriate

6. Add unsubscribe and preferences where needed

For pure account/security emails, you usually don’t add unsubscribe links. For mixed or optional emails, give users preference controls.

7. Track delivery and failures

Use provider webhooks or logs to monitor:

• sent
• delivered
• bounced
• complained
• opened/clicked, if needed

8. Secure sensitive flows

For password resets and verification:

• use single-use, expiring tokens
• avoid putting sensitive data in the email itself
• link users to secure pages in your app

Example flow

1. User requests password reset
2. Your backend generates a short-lived token
3. Your backend sends an email with a reset link
4. User clicks link and sets a new password

If you want, I can also give you:

• a recommended email provider comparison,
• a sample architecture,
• or code examples in Node.js, Python, or Ruby.