Setting Up Transactional Emails

This guide walks you through how to set up transactional emails in Sender for the first time. Transactional emails are automated messages triggered by a user action — such as a purchase confirmation, password reset, or account notification — and are sent to one recipient at a time through the API or SMTP.

Where to Find This Feature

In the Sender dashboard, click Transactional emails in the left sidebar. This opens the transactional emails section with four pages in the submenu: Metrics — the Transactional overview page, which displays delivery stats such as Total emails sent, Total delivered, Total opens, and Total clicks. Logs — the Latest events log, where you can view individual email events filtered by Event type, Domain, and Campaign. Templates — where you create and manage reusable transactional email templates. Setup instructions — where you find integration code snippets and SMTP server credentials for connecting your application to Sender. To begin setup, you will also need the API access tokens page, located under Account settings → API access tokens in the main sidebar.

Steps to Set Up Transactional Emails

Step 1 — Generate an API Token

Go to Account settings → API access tokens in the main sidebar. Click Create API token. A dialog will appear asking you to select a token validity time — choose from Forever, 30 days, 7 days, or 1 day using the dropdown. Click Create to generate your token. Copy the token immediately and store it securely. You will need this token to authenticate API requests or configure your integration. The token appears only once, so save it before closing the dialog.

Step 2 — Choose Your Integration Method

Navigate to Transactional emails → Setup instructions in the sidebar. You will see a panel with five integration tabs: curl://, Laravel, php, node, and SMTP. If using the API: Select the tab that matches your application (e.g., curl://, Laravel, php, or node). Copy the provided code snippet and paste it into your application. Replace YOUR_TOKEN_HERE in the authorization header with the API token you generated in Step 1. If using SMTP: Click the SMTP tab. Note the server settings displayed — Server: smtp.sender.net, Ports: 25, 2525, or 587, Authentication: PLAIN or LOGIN over TLS. Click Add SMTP user, enter a Username in the dialog, and click Create. Use the generated SMTP username, password, and server settings to configure your application’s mail settings.

Step 3 — Send a Test Email

Use your chosen integration to send a test email to an address you can check. If you are using the API, run the code snippet from the Setup instructions page with a valid recipient address filled in. If you are using SMTP, configure your application with the credentials from Step 2 and trigger a test send. After sending, go to Transactional emails → Logs in the sidebar and confirm that your test email appears in the Latest events log with the correct Event, Recipient, and Subject.

What Happens Next

Once your test email appears in the Logs page and shows a delivered status, your transactional email setup is complete. You can now integrate transactional email sends into your application’s workflows — such as order confirmations, password resets, or account notifications. To monitor ongoing performance, visit the Metrics page under Transactional emails to track delivery rates, opens, clicks, bounces, and spam reports.

Common Issues

API token not working → The token may have expired if you selected a limited validity time, or it may have been copied incorrectly. Go to Account settings → API access tokens and create a new token. Make sure to copy the full token string without extra spaces.

SMTP connection refused → Your application may be using an unsupported port or missing TLS. Verify that you are connecting to smtp.sender.net on port 25, 2525, or 587, and that authentication is set to PLAIN or LOGIN over TLS. Test email not showing in Logs → The email may not have been sent successfully. Double-check that your API token or SMTP credentials are entered correctly in your application. Also confirm that the recipient email address in your test request is valid and properly formatted.

“Unauthorized” error on API request → The Authorization header is missing or malformed. Ensure the header reads Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE with your actual token replacing the placeholder. The token must be preceded by the word Bearer and a single space.

FAQs

What is the difference between transactional and marketing emails?

Transactional emails are triggered by a specific user action, such as a purchase or password reset, and are sent to a single recipient. Marketing emails are sent in bulk to promote content, offers, or updates to a subscriber list.

Can I send transactional emails without using the API?

Yes. You can use SMTP instead. Go to Transactional emails → Setup instructions, click the SMTP tab, and create an SMTP user. Then configure your application with the provided server address, port, and credentials.

Where do I find my API token after creating it?

API tokens are shown only once at the time of creation. If you did not copy it, you will need to generate a new one from Account settings → API access tokens by clicking Create API token.

How do I know if my transactional email was delivered?

Go to Transactional emails → Logs. The Latest events log displays each email event with its delivery status, recipient, subject, and timestamp. You can also check the Metrics page for an overview of total deliveries and bounces.

Which port should I use for SMTP?

Sender supports ports 25, 2525, and 587. Port 587 with TLS is recommended for most applications, as it is widely supported and secure.