SMTP

SMTP is the most flexible email option in Storyden. Use it if you already run mail infrastructure or prefer a provider that exposes standard SMTP credentials.

Configuration

Set these environment variables:

• EMAIL_PROVIDER=smtp
• SMTP_HOST
• SMTP_PORT
• SMTP_FROM_ADDRESS
• JWT_SECRET (this is required for generating password reset links)
• SMTP_FROM_NAME (your community name)
• SMTP_USERNAME and SMTP_PASSWORD (both together, or neither)
• SMTP_USE_TLS (defaults to true)

Use the Configuration reference for full definitions and defaults.

Example

EMAIL_PROVIDER=smtp
SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USERNAME=mailer@example.com
SMTP_PASSWORD=replace-me
SMTP_FROM_NAME="My Community"
SMTP_FROM_ADDRESS=no-reply@example.com
SMTP_USE_TLS=true
JWT_SECRET=replace-with-a-long-random-secret

TLS Behaviour

With SMTP_USE_TLS=true:

• Port 465 uses implicit TLS.
• Other ports use STARTTLS and require STARTTLS support on the server.

With SMTP_USE_TLS=false, Storyden sends without TLS, which is only suitable for local development or trusted networks.

If SMTP_USERNAME and SMTP_PASSWORD are set while TLS is disabled, Storyden rejects the SMTP configuration at startup instead of attempting plaintext authentication.