How do I send email verification links?

To send email verification links, the usual flow is:

1. User signs up
   Create the user account with email_verified = false.

2. Generate a unique verification token/link
   Create a secure, time-limited token tied to the user.

3. Send an email with the link
   The link usually looks like:

   https://yourapp.com/verify-email?token=ABC123
   

4. User clicks the link
   Your backend checks:

   • token is valid
   • token not expired
   • token matches the user

5. Mark email as verified
   Update the user record:

   • email_verified = true
   • clear the token if needed

Typical implementation ideas

Backend

You can use:

• Node.js: Nodemailer + JWT or random token
• Python: Django / Flask + email library
• PHP: Laravel’s built-in verification
• Ruby on Rails: Devise confirmation
• Firebase/Auth0/Clerk: built-in email verification

Example link flow

• Generate token: a8f3...
• Save hashed token in DB with expiration
• Email:

  Click here to verify your email: https://example.com/verify?token=a8f3...

Best practices

• Make tokens single-use
• Expire them in 15–60 minutes or a few hours
• Store tokens hashed, not plain text
• Rate-limit resend requests
• Use HTTPS
• Provide a resend verification email option

If you want a quick code example

I can give you one for:

• Node.js
• Python
• PHP
• Laravel
• Django
• Firebase

If you tell me your stack, I’ll show the exact implementation.