---
title: Email
description: Configure invitation and notification emails over SMTP, Cloudflare Email Service, or a mail server on the same host.
---

Vectana sends invitation and notification emails. Choose how with `MAIL_BACKEND`.

| `MAIL_BACKEND` | How mail is sent |
| --- | --- |
| `smtp` | Through an SMTP server (default) |
| `cloudflare` | Through the Cloudflare Email Service API |
| `none` | Not sent (only logged) |

:::note
You can still invite people without email: pass them the link shown on the invitation screen.
:::

## SMTP

Use the SMTP endpoint of an email service (SendGrid, Resend, Amazon SES, Google Workspace…) or your own mail server.

```bash .env
MAIL_BACKEND=smtp
MAIL_FROM=Vectana <no-reply@example.com>
SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USERNAME=(username)
SMTP_PASSWORD=(password)
SMTP_START_TLS=true
SMTP_USE_TLS=false
```

For port 465 (SMTPS), set `SMTP_PORT=465`, `SMTP_USE_TLS=true` and `SMTP_START_TLS=false`.

## Cloudflare Email Service

If your domain is on Cloudflare, you can send with Cloudflare Email Service.

```bash .env
MAIL_BACKEND=cloudflare
MAIL_FROM=no-reply@example.com
CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID=(account ID)
CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN=(API token with email sending permission)
```

:::warning
At the time of writing, Cloudflare Email Service is in beta, and sending to arbitrary recipients requires the Workers Paid plan. Verify your sending domain in the Cloudflare dashboard first.
:::

## A mail server on the same host

If you run [docker-mailserver](https://github.com/docker-mailserver/docker-mailserver) or similar in Docker on the same server, connect Vectana to its network and send without authentication (provided the mail server accepts mail from Docker networks).

Create `compose.override.yaml` next to `compose.yaml`. Replace `mail-network` with the network your mail server is on.

```yaml compose.override.yaml
services:
  app:
    networks: [default, mail-network]
  worker:
    networks: [default, mail-network]

networks:
  mail-network:
    external: true
```

```bash .env
MAIL_BACKEND=smtp
MAIL_FROM=Vectana <no-reply@example.com>
SMTP_HOST=mailserver   # the mail server's container name
SMTP_PORT=25
SMTP_START_TLS=false
```

## If mail doesn't arrive

- Check `docker compose logs app worker` for sending errors
- Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC for the sending domain. Without them, mail may land in spam or be rejected
- Failed notifications are retried on later scheduled checks (for 7 days after the finding)