SMTP Setup

kuploy-cloud requires SMTP for email delivery in production. Email is used for user verification, password resets, billing alerts, and notification channels.

Why SMTP Is Required

Without SMTP configured:

• Users cannot verify their email addresses
• Password reset flows won't work
• Email-based billing notifications are disabled
• Team invite emails cannot be sent

Configuration Methods

SMTP can be configured through the admin dashboard or environment variables. Dashboard settings take priority over environment variables.

Method 1: Admin Dashboard (Recommended)

1. Log in as a platform admin
2. Go to Admin → SMTP
3. Enter your SMTP settings
4. Click Test to verify
5. Click Save

Settings are stored encrypted in the database and take effect immediately — no restart required.

Method 2: Environment Variables

Set these in your .env file or Kubernetes secret:

Variable	Description	Example
SMTP_HOST	SMTP server hostname	smtp.mailgun.org
SMTP_PORT	SMTP port	587
SMTP_USER	Authentication username	postmaster@mg.example.com
SMTP_PASS	Authentication password	your-smtp-password
SMTP_FROM	Sender email address	noreply@example.com
SMTP_FROM_NAME	Sender display name	My Platform

Method 3: Kubernetes Secret

For Kubernetes deployments:

# Encode values
echo -n "smtp.mailgun.org" | base64

# Patch the secret
kubectl patch secret kuploy-secrets -n kuploy -p '{
  "data": {
    "SMTP_HOST": "<base64-host>",
    "SMTP_PORT": "<base64-port>",
    "SMTP_USER": "<base64-user>",
    "SMTP_PASS": "<base64-pass>",
    "SMTP_FROM": "<base64-from>"
  }
}'

# Restart to apply
kubectl rollout restart deployment/kuploy -n kuploy

Recommended Providers

Any SMTP service works. Common choices:

Provider	Free Tier	Notes
Mailgun	100 emails/day	Popular for transactional email
SendGrid	100 emails/day	Easy setup, good deliverability
Amazon SES	62,000/month (with EC2)	Cheapest at scale
Postmark	100 emails/month	Focused on transactional email
Resend	3,000 emails/month	Modern API, developer-friendly

Testing

After configuration, verify SMTP is working:

1. Admin dashboard test — Go to Admin → SMTP → click Test
2. Sign-up flow — Create a new user account and check for the verification email
3. Check spam folders — Transactional emails sometimes land in spam initially

Troubleshooting

Emails not sending

• Verify SMTP credentials are correct
• Check that the SMTP port is not blocked by your firewall
• Ensure the "from" address is verified with your SMTP provider

Emails going to spam

• Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domain
• Use a dedicated sending domain (not a free email provider)
• Ensure the "from" address matches your domain

Connection timeout

• Port 587 (STARTTLS) is recommended — port 25 is often blocked
• Check that your Kubernetes cluster allows outbound connections on the SMTP port
• Verify the SMTP host is resolvable from within your cluster