Email Configuration

Configure SMTP to enable email notifications, password resets, and user invitations.

SMTP Settings

Variable	Purpose	Example
`SMTP_HOST`	SMTP server hostname	`smtp.gmail.com`
`SMTP_PORT`	SMTP server port	`587` (StartTLS), `465` (SSL)
`SMTP_USERNAME`	SMTP authentication username	`[email protected]`
`SMTP_PASSWORD`	SMTP authentication password	`your-app-password`
`SMTP_DOMAIN`	HELO domain	`example.com`
`SMTP_AUTHENTICATION`	Authentication method	`plain`, `login`, `cram_md5`
`SMTP_ENABLE_STARTTLS_AUTO`	Use StartTLS	`true`

Popular Email Providers

Gmail/Google Workspace

SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USERNAME=[email protected]
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-app-password
SMTP_DOMAIN=gmail.com
SMTP_AUTHENTICATION=plain
SMTP_ENABLE_STARTTLS_AUTO=true

Note: Use an App Password instead of your regular password.

SendGrid

SMTP_HOST=smtp.sendgrid.net
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USERNAME=apikey
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-sendgrid-api-key
SMTP_DOMAIN=your-domain.com
SMTP_AUTHENTICATION=plain
SMTP_ENABLE_STARTTLS_AUTO=true

Mailgun

SMTP_HOST=smtp.mailgun.org
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USERNAME=your-mailgun-username
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-mailgun-password
SMTP_DOMAIN=your-domain.com
SMTP_AUTHENTICATION=plain
SMTP_ENABLE_STARTTLS_AUTO=true

Postmark

SMTP_HOST=smtp.postmarkapp.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USERNAME=your-server-token
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-server-token
SMTP_DOMAIN=your-domain.com
SMTP_AUTHENTICATION=cram_md5
SMTP_ENABLE_STARTTLS_AUTO=true

Using Rails Credentials

For secure credential storage, use Rails credentials:

EDITOR=nano bin/rails credentials:edit --environment production

smtp:
  host: "smtp.gmail.com"
  port: 587
  username: "[email protected]"
  password: "your-app-password"
  domain: "your-domain.com"
  authentication: "plain"
  enable_starttls_auto: true

Testing Email Configuration

Test your email setup from the Rails console:

# Access Rails console
bin/rails console

# Test email delivery
ActionMailer::Base.mail(
  from: '[email protected]',
  to: '[email protected]',
  subject: 'FeedbackBin Test Email',
  body: 'This is a test email from FeedbackBin.'
).deliver_now

Troubleshooting

Email not sending

Test SMTP connection manually
Check firewall allows outbound SMTP ports (587, 465)
Verify SMTP credentials and settings

Authentication failures

Ensure you’re using app passwords for Gmail
Check username/password are correct
Verify authentication method matches provider requirements

SSL/TLS errors

Use port 587 with StartTLS for most providers
Use port 465 for SSL connections
Check SMTP_ENABLE_STARTTLS_AUTO setting