strapi/docs/v3.x/plugins/email.md

# Email

Thanks to the plugin `Email`, you can send email from your server or externals providers such as **Sendgrid**.

## Programmatic usage

In your custom controllers or services you may want to send email.
By using the following function, Strapi will use the configured provider to send an email.

```js
await strapi.plugins['email'].services.email.send({
  to: 'paulbocuse@strapi.io',
  from: 'joelrobuchon@strapi.io',
  cc: 'helenedarroze@strapi.io',
  bcc: 'ghislainearabian@strapi.io',
  replyTo: 'annesophiepic@strapi.io',
  subject: 'Use strapi email provider successfully',
  text: 'Hello world!',
  html: 'Hello world!',
});
```

## Configure the plugin

### Install the provider you want

By default Strapi provides a local email system ([sendmail](https://www.npmjs.com/package/sendmail)). If you want to use a third party to send emails, you need to install the correct provider module. Otherwise you can skip this part and continue to [Configure your provider](#configure-your-provider).

You can check all the available providers developed by the community on npmjs.org - [Providers list](https://www.npmjs.com/search?q=strapi-provider-email-)

To install a new provider run:

:::: tabs

::: tab yarn

```
yarn add strapi-provider-email-sendgrid --save
```

:::

::: tab npm

```
npm install strapi-provider-email-sendgrid --save
```

:::

::::

#### Using scoped packages as providers

If your package name is [scoped](https://docs.npmjs.com/about-scopes) (for example `@username/strapi-provider-email-gmail-oauth2`) you need to take an extra step by aliasing it in `package.json`. Go to the `dependencies` section and change the provider line to look like this:

`"strapi-provider-email-gmail-oauth2": "npm:@username/strapi-provider-email-gmail-oauth2@0.1.9"`

The string after the last `@` represents your desired [semver](https://docs.npmjs.com/about-semantic-versioning) version range.

### Configure your provider

After installing your provider you will need to add some settings in `config/plugins.js`. If this file doesn't exists, you'll need to create it. Check the README of each provider to know what configuration settings the provider needs.

Here is an example of a configuration made for the provider [strapi-provider-email-sendgrid](https://www.npmjs.com/package/strapi-provider-email-sendgrid).

**Path —** `./config/plugins.js`.

```js
module.exports = ({ env }) => ({
  // ...
  email: {
    provider: 'sendgrid',
    providerOptions: {
      apiKey: env('SENDGRID_API_KEY'),
    },
    settings: {
      defaultFrom: 'juliasedefdjian@strapi.io',
      defaultReplyTo: 'juliasedefdjian@strapi.io',
    },
  },
  // ...
});
```

::: tip
If you're using a different provider depending on your environment, you can specify the correct configuration in `config/env/${yourEnvironment}/plugins.js`. More info here: [Environments](../concepts/configurations.md#environments)
:::

## Create new provider

If you want to create your own, make sure the name starts with `strapi-provider-email-` (duplicating an existing one will be easier) and customize the `send` function.

Default template

```js
module.exports = {
  init: (providerOptions = {}, settings = {}) => {
    return {
      send: async options => {},
    };
  },
};
```

In the `send` function you will have access to:

- `providerOptions` that contains configurations written in `plugins.js`
- `settings` that contains configurations written in `plugins.js`
- `options` that contains options you send when you call the `send` function from the email plugin service

To use it you will have to publish it on **npm**.

### Create a local provider

If you want to create your own provider without publishing it on **npm** you can follow these steps:

- Create a `providers` folder in your application.
- Create your provider as explained in the documentation eg. `./providers/strapi-provider-email-[...]/...`
- Then update your `package.json` to link your `strapi-provider-email-[...]` dependency to the [local path](https://docs.npmjs.com/files/package.json#local-paths) of your new provider.

```json
{
  ...
  "dependencies": {
    ...
    "strapi-provider-email-[...]": "file:providers/strapi-provider-email-[...]",
    ...
  }
}
```

- Finally, run `yarn install` or `npm install` to install your new custom provider.

## Troubleshooting

You received an `Auth.form.error.email.invalid` error even though the email is valid and exists in the database.

Here is the error response you get from the API.

```json
{
  "statusCode": 400,
  "error": "Bad Request",
  "message": [
    {
      "messages": [
        {
          "id": "Auth.form.error.email.invalid"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

This error is due to your IP connection. By default, Strapi uses the [`sendmail`](https://github.com/guileen/node-sendmail) package.

This package sends an email from the server it runs on. Depending on the network you are on, the connection to the SMTP server could fail.

Here is the `sendmail` error.

```
Error: SMTP code:550 msg:550-5.7.1 [87.88.179.13] The IP you're using to send mail is not authorized to
550-5.7.1 send email directly to our servers. Please use the SMTP relay at your
550-5.7.1 service provider instead. Learn more at
550 5.7.1  https://support.google.com/mail/?p=NotAuthorizedError 30si2132728pjz.75 - gsmtp
```

To fix it, we suggest you to use another email provider that uses third party to send emails.

When using a third party provider, you avoid having to setup a mail server on your server and get extra features such as email analytics.