206 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
206 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
---
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title: Self hosting useSend
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description: "An end-to-end guide on how to self-host useSend. An open-source sending infrastructure for developers."
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icon: server
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---
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## Prerequisites
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- A [GitHub](https://github.com) account
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- An [AWS](https://aws.amazon.com) account
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If you have any questions join [#self-host](https://discord.gg/gbsvjb9MqV) on discord.
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## Step 1: Environment variables
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useSend depends on AWS SES to send emails and SNS to receive email status. Along with that it also depends on Postgres as a database and Redis for queue. Copy the `.env.selfhost.example` file to `.env` and fill in the values.
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<Steps>
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<Step title="AWS credentials">
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tl;dr: Login to your AWS console and create a new user with programmatic access. Attach the `AmazonSNSFullAccess` and `AmazonSESFullAccess` policies to the user. Then create a new access key for the user.
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Add the following environment variables.
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```env
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AWS_ACCESS_KEY=<access-key-id>
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AWS_SECRET_KEY=<secret-access-key>
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```
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<Tip>
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Follow this for detailed steps: [Create AWS
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credentials](/get-started/create-aws-credentials)
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</Tip>
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</Step>
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<Step title="GitHub app credentials for login">
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useSend uses GitHub authentication for login.
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Use this link to [create an github app](https://docs.github.com/en/apps/creating-github-apps/about-creating-github-apps/about-creating-github-apps)
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Callback URL : `https://<your-usesend-instance>/api/auth/callback/github`
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Add the following environment variables.
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```env
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GITHUB_ID="<your-github-client-id>"
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GITHUB_SECRET="<your-github-client-secret>"
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```
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<Info>If you want email/password login, please help us out with the [code](https://github.com/usesend/usesend) </Info>
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</Step>
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<Step title="Database & Redis">
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useSend uses Postgres as a database and Redis as a queue. You need to create a new database and add the following environment variables.
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If you're using docker-compose or our railway template, it's all automatically done for you.
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```env
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DATABASE_URL="postgres://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>/<database-name>"
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REDIS_URL="redis://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>"
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```
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</Step>
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<Step title="Next auth url and secret">
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Url is the app url you're going to use and secret is random string. You can generate a random secret using this command.
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```sh
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openssl rand -base64 32
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```
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Add the following environment variables.
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```env
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NEXTAUTH_URL="https://<your-usesend-instance>"
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NEXTAUTH_SECRET="<your-usesend-secret>"
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```
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</Step>
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</Steps>
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## Step 2: Setting up the app
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You can use any platforms that supports docker. You can also use the railway template. In this example I'll be using railway. If you have any questions drop in the [discord channel](https://discord.gg/gbsvjb9MqV) and i'll try to help you out
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### Docker
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Follow this guide to setup your docker instance: [Set up docker](/get-started/set-up-docker)
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[](https://hub.docker.com/r/usesend/usesend)
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### Railway
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This option is very easy. Click on the below button and click "Deploy now". Add a custom domain etc.
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Updating image is easy, click on the 3 dots and redeploy. This will pull the latest image.
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[](https://railway.app/template/QbMnwX?referralCode=oaAwvp)
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Your useSend instance is now live now.
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## Step 3: Setting up a region
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In order to send emails, you need to select a region in AWS. Use a region where your users are located / where useSend is hosted. If you're confused just use `us-east-1`.
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You can check available regions [here](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/ses.html)
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Once you log in to useSend, it will prompt you add SES configuration.
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- Add the region
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- Add the callback url, which is basically the app url. Note this should be accesible from internet. This is how you get the delivery status of the emails.
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- You don't need to update the send rate, it's automatically based on your account.
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## Step 4: Getting out of sandbox mode
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<Warning>Don't forget to get the SES account out of sandbox mode.</Warning>
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## Step 5: SMTP Proxy Server (Optional)
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The SMTP proxy server is an optional component that allows applications to send emails through useSend using standard SMTP protocol instead of the REST API. This is useful for legacy applications, email clients, or any software that needs to send emails via SMTP.
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<Tip>
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The complete source code for the SMTP proxy server is available at: [usesend/usesend/tree/main/apps/smtp-server](https://github.com/usesend/usesend/tree/main/apps/smtp-server)
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</Tip>
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### When to use the SMTP proxy:
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- **Legacy applications** that only support SMTP
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- **Email clients** like Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail
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- **Applications** that can't easily integrate with REST APIs
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- **Third-party software** that requires SMTP configuration
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### Docker Compose Setup
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Create a `docker-compose.yml` file for the SMTP server:
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```yaml
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name: usesend-smtp-server
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services:
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smtp-server:
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container_name: usesend-smtp-server
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image: usesend/smtp-proxy:latest
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environment:
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SMTP_AUTH_USERNAME: "usesend" # Username for SMTP authentication
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USESEND_BASE_URL: "https://your-usesend-instance.com" # Your useSend instance URL
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# Optional: SSL certificate paths for secure connections
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# USESEND_API_KEY_PATH: "/certs/server.key"
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# USESEND_API_CERT_PATH: "/certs/server.crt"
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# Optional: Mount SSL certificates
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# volumes:
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# - ./certs/server.key:/certs/server.key:ro
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# - ./certs/server.crt:/certs/server.crt:ro
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ports:
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- "25:25" # Standard SMTP
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- "587:587" # SMTP with STARTTLS
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- "2587:2587" # Alternative SMTP port
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- "465:465" # SMTP over SSL/TLS
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- "2465:2465" # Alternative SMTPS port
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restart: unless-stopped
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```
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Run the SMTP server:
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```bash
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docker-compose up -d
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```
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### SMTP Configuration
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To send emails through the proxy, configure your application with these SMTP settings:
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- **Host**: Your server's IP address or domain
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- **Ports**: 25, 587 (STARTTLS), 465 (SSL/TLS), 2587, or 2465
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- **Username**: `usesend` (or your custom `SMTP_AUTH_USERNAME`)
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- **Password**: Your useSend API key
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- **Encryption**: STARTTLS (ports 25, 587, 2587) or SSL/TLS (ports 465, 2465)
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<Tip>
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The SMTP proxy forwards all emails to your useSend instance, so make sure your main useSend application is running and accessible.
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</Tip>
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<Warning>
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Ensure your firewall allows traffic on the SMTP ports you're using. For production deployments, consider using non-standard ports (2587, 2465) to avoid conflicts.
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</Warning>
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## Next steps
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You're all set up now.
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- Setup a domain.
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- Create an API key.
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- Start sending emails.
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If you have any questions, please join [#self-host](https://discord.gg/gbsvjb9MqV) on discord.
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<Tip>
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A community member shared a short write-up on hosting useSend with [Coolify](https://mattstein.com/thoughts/coolify-unsend/). Give it a read if you need another reference.
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</Tip>
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