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Email

Community Template uses email for passwordless authentication (magic code login) and for sending newsletter campaigns. You can configure either SendGrid or SMTP. If neither is configured, it falls back to Shadow Devs' SMTP server - this is fine for testing but not recommended for production.

Option 1: SendGrid​

SendGrid is a cloud email service with good deliverability and easy setup.

Setup​

  1. Create a SendGrid account and verify your email
  2. Go to Settings > Sender Authentication and verify your sender domain or email address for better deliverability
  3. Go to Settings > API Keys and create a new key with Mail Send permissions
  4. Copy the API key - it is only shown once
warning

Save the API key immediately. SendGrid will not show it again.

Configuration​

Add to your .env:

SENDGRID_KEY=SG.your-sendgrid-key-here

Then in Admin Panel > Settings > Email, set:

  • From Address - the verified sender email address
  • Mode - SendGrid

Option 2: SMTP​

Use your own SMTP server or a third-party provider.

Configuration​

Add to your .env:

SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
SMTP_PORT=587
[email protected]
SMTP_PASS=your_password

Then in Admin Panel > Settings > Email, set:

  • From Address - the email address to send from
  • Mode - SMTP
  • SMTP Mode - Default (or Google Workspace if using Gmail)

Common SMTP Settings​

Gmail / Google Workspace:

Host: smtp.gmail.com
Port: 587

For Gmail, you must use an App Password rather than your account password. Generate one under Google Account Security > App Passwords.

Outlook / Office 365:

Host: smtp.office365.com
Port: 587

Yahoo Mail:

Host: smtp.mail.yahoo.com
Port: 587

Email Templates​

You can customize the header and footer that appear on all outgoing emails in Admin Panel > Settings > Email. These accept HTML.

Troubleshooting​

Emails not being received:

  • Check your spam/junk folder
  • Verify sender authentication is set up (especially for SendGrid)
  • Confirm the From Address is authorized by your email provider
  • Check server logs for delivery errors

Authentication errors:

  • Double-check your API key or SMTP credentials
  • For Gmail, ensure you're using an App Password
  • Try port 465 with SSL if 587 with TLS fails

Verification codes expiring:

  • Codes expire after a short window - this is normal
  • The user should request a new code if it has expired