hexabot/docs/developer-guide/smtp-configuration-and-emails.md

SMTP Configuration and Emails

Development Environment

You have two options for handling email functionality during development:

1. Without SMTP:
   You can run the app without using SMTP by setting the environment variable EMAIL_SMTP_ENABLED=false. Simply run make start and invite a user. The app will behave as though it is sending emails, but nothing will happen in the background.
2. Using smtp4dev for Testing:
   We use smtp4dev for email testing in the development environment. To use this service, run the app with make start SMTP4DEV=1. Then, invite a user or reset a password and check whether emails are received in the smtp4dev UI interface at http://localhost:9002/. This also applies to other scenarios like the confirmation email after signup and the password reset email.

SMTP Config (Local Dev)

For local development with smtp4dev, configure the following environment variables:

APP_SMTP_4_DEV_PORT=9002
EMAIL_SMTP_ENABLED=false
EMAIL_SMTP_HOST=smtp4dev
EMAIL_SMTP_PORT=25
EMAIL_SMTP_SECURE=false
EMAIL_SMTP_USER=dev_only
EMAIL_SMTP_PASS=dev_only
EMAIL_SMTP_FROM=noreply@example.com

Production Environment

In production, use a third-party SMTP service by configuring the environment variables before running make start:

EMAIL_SMTP_ENABLED=true
EMAIL_SMTP_HOST=sandbox.smtp.mailtrap.io
EMAIL_SMTP_PORT=2525
EMAIL_SMTP_SECURE=false
EMAIL_SMTP_USER=***************
EMAIL_SMTP_PASS=***************
EMAIL_SMTP_FROM=from@example.com

Customizing Email Templates

Email templates are located in the api/src/templates folder. These templates are written in MJML syntax (you can read more about MJML here).

Translations

Email strings are translated using the i18n system. You can find the translation files in the api/src/config/i18n folder.