Email Configuration Guide

Last Updated: 2026-01-11 Version: 1.0.0

This guide covers email configuration for Pavillion across all environments: local development, Docker development, and production deployments.

Overview
Transport Architecture
Environment Variables
Local Development (npm run dev)
Docker Development (Mailpit)
Production Configuration
Troubleshooting

Overview

Pavillion uses a transport adapter pattern for email delivery, allowing seamless switching between different email backends based on environment and configuration. The system automatically selects the appropriate transport based on environment variables and NODE_ENV.

Email Types Supported

Pavillion sends the following transactional emails:

Account invitations - Invite users to join the platform
Password reset requests - Allow users to recover account access
Editor invitations - Invite collaborators to edit calendars
Editor notifications - Notify users when they're added as calendar editors

Design Principles

Zero configuration for development - Local development works immediately without setup
Docker development with visual inspection - Mailpit provides a web UI for viewing emails
Production flexibility - Supports any SMTP provider with standard configuration

Transport Architecture

The email system uses a transport adapter pattern located at src/server/email/. Each transport implements the same interface, allowing the application to send emails without knowing the underlying delivery mechanism.

Available Transports

Transport	Use Case	Configuration
`development`	Local npm development	Writes emails to `logs/mail/` directory
`mailpit`	Docker development	Sends to Mailpit container for web UI viewing
`smtp`	Production	Sends via configured SMTP server
`testing`	Unit/integration tests	In-memory storage for test assertions
`sendmail`	Legacy systems	Uses local sendmail binary

Transport Selection Logic

The email service selects a transport using the following priority order:

1. NODE_ENV=test                          --> Testing transport (in-memory)
2. SMTP_HOST=mailpit                      --> Mailpit transport (Docker)
3. SMTP_HOST set (without MAIL_TRANSPORT) --> SMTP transport (auto-detect)
4. MAIL_TRANSPORT=<type>                  --> Explicitly specified transport
5. NODE_ENV=development (no SMTP_HOST)    --> Development transport (file-based)
6. Fallback                               --> Config file transport or development

Transport Selection Flowchart

                    START
                      |
                      v
              +---------------+
              | NODE_ENV=test |
              +---------------+
                /           \
              yes            no
              /               \
             v                 v
      [Testing]        +----------------+
                       | SMTP_HOST=     |
                       | mailpit?       |
                       +----------------+
                        /            \
                      yes             no
                      /               \
                     v                 v
              [Mailpit]        +----------------+
                               | SMTP_HOST set? |
                               +----------------+
                                /            \
                              yes             no
                              /               \
                             v                 v
                       [SMTP]          +----------------+
                                       | MAIL_TRANSPORT |
                                       | explicitly set?|
                                       +----------------+
                                        /            \
                                      yes             no
                                      /               \
                                     v                 v
                            [Specified         +----------------+
                             Transport]        | NODE_ENV=      |
                                               | development?   |
                                               +----------------+
                                                /            \
                                              yes             no
                                              /               \
                                             v                 v
                                    [Development]      [Config File
                                    (file-based)        or Default]

Environment Variables

The email system uses the config package's environment variable mapping. These variables are defined in config/custom-environment-variables.yaml:

Variable	Description	Example
`SMTP_HOST`	SMTP server hostname	`smtp.smtp2go.com`
`SMTP_PORT`	SMTP server port	`587`
`SMTP_USER`	SMTP authentication username	`user@example.com`
`SMTP_PASSWORD`	SMTP authentication password	`your-smtp-password`
`SMTP_SECURE`	Use TLS (true/false)	`true`
`MAIL_FROM`	Default sender address	`noreply@yourdomain.com`
`MAIL_TRANSPORT`	Explicit transport override	`smtp`, `development`, `mailpit`

Environment Variable Priority

Environment variables are mapped to config paths via config/custom-environment-variables.yaml:

SMTP_* variables map to mail.settings.*
MAIL_FROM maps to mail.from
MAIL_TRANSPORT maps to mail.transport

This follows the same pattern as database credentials (DB_*) and JWT secrets (JWT_SECRET), keeping secrets out of configuration files while allowing easy override in container environments.

Local Development (npm run dev)

When running Pavillion locally with npm run dev, emails are automatically saved to files without any configuration required.

How It Works

The development transport writes all emails to logs/mail/ directory
Each email is saved as an .eml file with timestamp and recipient in filename
Console output shows email metadata (from, to, subject, file path)

Viewing Development Emails

bash

# Start the development server
npm run dev

# Trigger an email action (e.g., password reset)
# Check console output for email details

# View saved emails
ls -la logs/mail/

# Open an email file (macOS)
open logs/mail/2026-01-11T10-30-00-000Z-user@example.com-Password-Reset.eml

# Or view in terminal
cat logs/mail/*.eml

Console Output Example

When an email is sent in development mode, you'll see:

--- Email Sent (Development Mode) ---
From: noreply@example.com
To: user@example.com
Subject: Reset Your Password
Saved to: logs/mail/2026-01-11T10-30-00-000Z-user@example.com-Reset-Your-Password.eml
--- End Email ---

Email File Format

The .eml files are standard email format and can be:

Opened with any email client (Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Outlook)
Viewed as text in any editor
Parsed programmatically for debugging

Customizing Development Email Output

bash

# Change output directory
MAIL_OUTPUT_DIR=./my-emails npm run dev

# Disable console output (emails still saved to files)
MAIL_CONSOLE=false npm run dev

Docker Development (Mailpit)

When running Pavillion with Docker Compose, emails are captured by Mailpit, providing a web interface for viewing and debugging emails.

Starting Docker Development Environment

bash

# Start all services including Mailpit
docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up

# Or start in detached mode
docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d

Accessing Mailpit Web UI

Once containers are running, open your browser to:

http://localhost:8025

Mailpit Web Interface Features

The Mailpit web UI provides:

Inbox view - List of all captured emails with sender, recipient, subject, and timestamp
Email preview - Click any email to view full content
HTML rendering - See emails exactly as recipients would
Plain text view - View text-only version
Headers inspection - View all email headers
Source view - Raw email source code
Attachment handling - Download and view attachments
Search - Filter emails by any criteria
Delete - Clear individual or all emails

Email Testing Workflow

Start containers: docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up
Open Mailpit: Navigate to http://localhost:8025
Trigger email: Perform an action in the app (password reset, invitation, etc.)
View email: Email appears in Mailpit within seconds
Inspect content: Check HTML rendering, links, and content
Clear emails: Use "Delete All" to reset between tests

How Docker Email Configuration Works

The docker-compose.dev.yml configures the app container with:

yaml

environment:
  - SMTP_HOST=mailpit
  - SMTP_PORT=1025
  - MAIL_FROM=pavillion-dev@localhost

When SMTP_HOST=mailpit, the email service automatically selects the Mailpit transport, which sends emails via SMTP to the Mailpit container on port 1025.

Mailpit Container Configuration

yaml

mailpit:
  image: axllent/mailpit
  ports:
    - "8025:8025"  # Web UI
    - "1025:1025"  # SMTP (optional external exposure)

Troubleshooting Docker Email

Emails not appearing in Mailpit:

Verify Mailpit is running:

bash

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml ps

Check app container logs for email errors:

bash

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml logs app

Verify environment variables:

bash

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml exec app env | grep -E 'SMTP|MAIL'

Test SMTP connectivity from app container:

bash

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml exec app nc -zv mailpit 1025

Mailpit web UI not loading:

Check if port 8025 is in use:
bash
```
lsof -i :8025
```

Restart Mailpit container:

bash

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml restart mailpit

Production Configuration

Production deployments require a third-party SMTP provider for reliable email delivery.

Choosing an SMTP Provider

When selecting an SMTP provider, consider:

Deliverability rates - How reliably emails reach inboxes vs. spam folders
Free tier generosity - Monthly limits and daily sending caps
Ease of setup - Domain verification process and documentation quality
Credit card requirements - Some providers require payment info even for free tiers

Search for "transactional email provider comparison" to find current reviews and comparisons. Look for providers that specialize in transactional email (password resets, notifications) rather than marketing email.

Basic SMTP Configuration

Via Environment Variables (Recommended)

bash

# Required
SMTP_HOST=smtp.your-provider.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=your-username
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-password
MAIL_FROM=noreply@yourdomain.com

# Optional
SMTP_SECURE=true  # Use TLS (recommended)

Via YAML Configuration

Create or modify config/production.yaml:

yaml

mail:
  transport: smtp
  from: noreply@yourdomain.com
  settings:
    host: smtp.your-provider.com
    port: 587
    secure: true
    user: your-username
    pass: your-password

Important: Never commit credentials to version control. Use environment variables for production secrets.

Common SMTP Ports

Port	Security	Use Case
25	None	Legacy, often blocked
465	SSL/TLS	Implicit TLS
587	STARTTLS	Recommended for submission
2525	Varies	Alternative when 587 blocked

Security Settings

Setting	Value	Description
`SMTP_SECURE=true`	Port 465	Use implicit TLS
`SMTP_SECURE=false`	Port 587	Use STARTTLS (upgrades to TLS)

Most providers recommend port 587 with STARTTLS (SMTP_SECURE=false or omit the variable).

Testing Production Configuration

After configuring SMTP:

Deploy your configuration
Trigger a test email (password reset to your email)
Check your inbox (and spam folder)
Verify email content and formatting

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Connection refused" errors

Verify SMTP_HOST and SMTP_PORT are correct
Check if your hosting provider blocks outbound SMTP (common on shared hosting)
Try alternative ports (2525, 465)

"Authentication failed"

Double-check SMTP_USER and SMTP_PASSWORD
Ensure you're using SMTP credentials, not account password
Check if your provider requires app-specific passwords

Emails going to spam

Verify sender domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Use mail-tester.com to check spam score
Ensure MAIL_FROM uses a verified domain
Check sender reputation with your provider

Emails not sending in production

Check application logs for error messages:

bash

docker logs pavillion-app | grep -i mail

Verify environment variables are set:

bash

docker exec pavillion-app env | grep -E 'SMTP|MAIL'

Test SMTP connectivity:

bash

openssl s_client -connect smtp.provider.com:587 -starttls smtp

Transport type confusion

Check which transport is active:

bash

# In logs, look for:
Creating mail transport: smtp
# or
Creating mail transport: development

DNS Record Verification

Use these tools to verify your DNS records:

MXToolbox: mxtoolbox.com/SuperTool.aspx
Google Admin Toolbox: toolbox.googleapps.com/apps/checkmx
DKIM Validator: dmarcanalyzer.com/dkim/dkim-check

Getting Help

If you continue to experience issues:

Check the provider's documentation and status page
Contact the provider's support with error messages
Open an issue in the Pavillion repository with:
- Environment (Docker/local/production)
- Provider being used
- Error messages (sanitized of credentials)
- Steps to reproduce

Email Configuration Guide ​

Table of Contents ​

Overview ​

Email Types Supported ​

Design Principles ​

Transport Architecture ​

Available Transports ​

Transport Selection Logic ​

Transport Selection Flowchart ​

Environment Variables ​

Environment Variable Priority ​

Local Development (npm run dev) ​

How It Works ​

Viewing Development Emails ​

Console Output Example ​

Email File Format ​

Customizing Development Email Output ​

Docker Development (Mailpit) ​

Starting Docker Development Environment ​

Accessing Mailpit Web UI ​

Mailpit Web Interface Features ​

Email Testing Workflow ​

How Docker Email Configuration Works ​

Mailpit Container Configuration ​

Troubleshooting Docker Email ​

Production Configuration ​

Choosing an SMTP Provider ​

Basic SMTP Configuration ​

Via Environment Variables (Recommended) ​

Via YAML Configuration ​

Common SMTP Ports ​

Security Settings ​

Testing Production Configuration ​

Troubleshooting ​

Common Issues ​

"Connection refused" errors ​

"Authentication failed" ​

Emails going to spam ​

Emails not sending in production ​

Transport type confusion ​

DNS Record Verification ​

Getting Help ​

Related Documentation ​

Email Configuration Guide

Table of Contents

Overview

Email Types Supported

Design Principles

Transport Architecture

Available Transports

Transport Selection Logic

Transport Selection Flowchart

Environment Variables

Environment Variable Priority

Local Development (npm run dev)

How It Works

Viewing Development Emails

Console Output Example

Email File Format

Customizing Development Email Output

Docker Development (Mailpit)

Starting Docker Development Environment

Accessing Mailpit Web UI

Mailpit Web Interface Features

Email Testing Workflow

How Docker Email Configuration Works

Mailpit Container Configuration

Troubleshooting Docker Email

Production Configuration

Choosing an SMTP Provider

Basic SMTP Configuration

Via Environment Variables (Recommended)

Via YAML Configuration

Common SMTP Ports

Security Settings

Testing Production Configuration

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Connection refused" errors

"Authentication failed"

Emails going to spam

Emails not sending in production

Transport type confusion

DNS Record Verification

Getting Help

Related Documentation