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Two ways to send

MailChannels gives you two ways to hand off your mail: the HTTP Email API and SMTP. Both deliver through the same infrastructure and reach the same inboxes. The difference is how your application connects. The Email API is an HTTPS interface: your application sends a single request with a JSON body describing the message. SMTP is the long-established mail protocol: you point an existing mail server or SMTP client at MailChannels and it relays your mail.

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How they compare

Both methods require the same DNS setup on every sending domain: a Domain Lockdown record and an SPF record.

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When to choose the Email API

Choose the Email API if you are:
  • Building a new application, or sending from a serverless or edge environment where holding an SMTP connection is awkward.
  • Relying on delivery, bounce, and engagement webhooks to track what happens to your mail.
Start with the Email API quickstart.

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When to choose SMTP

Choose SMTP if you:
  • Already run a mail server, or use software that sends over SMTP, and want to move to MailChannels with little or no code change.
See Sending via SMTP to get started.