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EMAIL_SETUP.md

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Setting up Email Functionality

Using a Free SMTP Service

This project uses nodemailer with a free SMTP service for sending emails from the contact form.

Option 1: Ethereal.email (Recommended for Testing)

  1. Visit https://ethereal.email/ and create a free account
  2. Copy your SMTP credentials from your Ethereal account dashboard
  3. Create a .env file in your project root with the following content: 
    SMTP_USER=your-ethereal-email@ethereal.email
SMTP_PASS=your-ethereal-password
CONTACT_EMAIL=your-receiving-email@example.com
  4. Replace the placeholder values with your actual credentials

Option 2: Gmail (with App Password)

  1. Enable 2-factor authentication on your Google account
  2. Generate an App Password at https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
  3. Create a .env file with: 
    SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_SECURE=false
SMTP_USER=your-gmail@gmail.com
SMTP_PASS=your-16-digit-app-password
CONTACT_EMAIL=your-receiving-email@example.com

Option 3: Outlook/Hotmail

  1. Create a .env file with: 
    SMTP_HOST=smtp-mail.outlook.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_SECURE=false
SMTP_USER=your-outlook-email@outlook.com
SMTP_PASS=your-password
CONTACT_EMAIL=your-receiving-email@example.com

Option 4: Mailgun (Free Tier Available)

  1. Sign up at https://www.mailgun.com/
  2. Create a .env file with: 
    SMTP_HOST=smtp.mailgun.org
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_SECURE=false
SMTP_USER=your-mailgun-smtp-username
SMTP_PASS=your-mailgun-smtp-password
CONTACT_EMAIL=your-receiving-email@example.com

Environment Variables

The application uses the following environment variables:

  • SMTP_HOST: SMTP server hostname (optional, defaults to Ethereal)
  • SMTP_PORT: SMTP server port (optional, defaults to 587)
  • SMTP_SECURE: Whether to use secure connection (optional, defaults to false)
  • SMTP_USER: Your SMTP username
  • SMTP_PASS: Your SMTP password
  • CONTACT_EMAIL: The email address where contact form submissions should be sent

Production Considerations

For production use, consider:

  • Using a paid SMTP service with higher sending limits (SendGrid, Amazon SES, etc.)
  • Setting up proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM)
  • Adding rate limiting to prevent spam
  • Implementing proper error handling and logging
  • Using environment variables for all sensitive configuration