Send Email for free with Strapi, Nodemailer, Gmail Instantly
My sendgrid config is working, but my e-mails are trapped inside sendgrid history because sendgrid keeps veryfing my account after a month, I decided to try SMTP config
According too Strapi Nodemailer Market (opens in a new tab) or NPM site @strapi/provider-email-nodemailer (opens in a new tab)
npm install @strapi/provider-email-nodemailerCreate Your SMTP_PASSWORD at Google Configuration for your App
Due to 2-factor and other securities reasons, must create a app password to use in your .env file.
As mentioned in plugin: env('SMTP_PASSWORD')
Search or click Google Apps Password (opens in a new tab) Can create 1 or many passowrds like this:
Copy your "once to show" password, it will work untill you delete.
Copy the plugin file config:
export default ({ env }) => ({
email: {
config: {
provider: 'nodemailer',
providerOptions: {
host: env('SMTP_HOST', 'smtp.gmail.com'),
port: env('SMTP_PORT', 465), //465 OR 587
auth: {
user: env('SMTP_USERNAME'), // YOUR_EMAIL@gmail.com, prefer .env file
pass: env('SMTP_PASSWORD'), // search "Google App Password", create password phrase and add to .env file
},
},
settings: {
defaultFrom: env('SMTP_USERNAME'), // in .env file
defaultReplyTo: env('SMTP_USERNAME'), // in .env file, could be SMTP_REPLY_USERNAME
},
},
//MY PREVIOUS WORKING SENDGRID CONFIG
// config: {
// provider: 'sendgrid', // For community providers pass the full package name (e.g. provider: 'strapi-provider-email-mandrill')
// providerOptions: {
// apiKey: env('SENDGRID_API_KEY'),
// },
// settings: {
// defaultFrom: env('SMTP_USERNAME'),
// defaultReplyTo: env('SMTP_USERNAME'),
// testAddress: env('SMTP_USERNAME'),
// },
// },
},
});Will automatically reflect like this
In this case manually created a service folder, but can be inside controller or lifecycle too.
/**
* Works for sendgrid or SMTP
* In this case I manually created folder ./api/email/service/email.ts
* File can be inside existing api service, controller or lifecycle
*/
export default {
send: async (ctx) => {
const from = 'YOUR_EMAIL@gmail.com';
const to = ctx.body.email;
const subject = ctx.body.subject;
const message = ctx.body.message;
console.log("# Email", ctx); // check object request if you need
try {
await strapi.plugins['email'].services.email.send({
to: [to], //accept array
from: from,
subject: subject,
text: message,
});
const successMessage = "Email sent with success!";
console.log(successMessage);
ctx.send(successMessage);
} catch (err) {
const errorMessage = "Error sending email: " + err;
console.error(errorMessage);
ctx.send(errorMessage);
}
}
};Enable Strapi To Send E-mail
After above file is created you must enable send in Roles > Public > Email > ☑Send. You can use Authorized if only logged in user can send email, which is NOT made for public frontend forms.
Your fetch Post
const api_url = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL; // or strapi: http://localhost:1337 or IP addresses or https://example.com
const url = `${api_url}/api/email`; // for strapi service and controller
const email = {
//from: "YOUR_EMAIL@gmail.com", //? Optional: from yourself as inserted in .env SMTP_USERNAME.
to: "SOME_USER_OR_YOUR_OWN@gmail.com", // To Anyone: To Yourself or To User email variable, etc
subject: "Hello dead friend",
text: "Some message"
}
const response = await fetch(url, {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
},
body: JSON.stringify(email),
});
console.log(response);When you send in frontend or Insomina/Postman. In case positive Strapi backend logs should show those lines:
[2025-01-28 06:30:24.257] http: OPTIONS /api/email (5 ms) 204
[2025-01-28 06:30:27.210] http: POST /api/email (2948 ms) 200That's it. In case of errors, carefully double check the steps: configuration, authorization, api path being called, password generated, folder, email etc.