Email (SMTP)

Send HTML notifications via any SMTP server. Supports multiple recipients and per-user delivery for login/account events.

Configuration

Credential Profile required

Email (SMTP) requires a Credential Profile of type SMTP. Create one in Settings → Vault → Credentials before saving the notification.

Field	Description	Default	Required
SMTP Host	Mail server hostname	-	✅
Port	SMTP port	587	❌
Security	none, ssl, or starttls	starttls	❌
Primary Credential	SMTP credential profile (SMTP username + password)	-	❌
From	Sender email address	-	✅
To	Recipient email address(es)	-	✅

Security modes: none (port 25, unencrypted), ssl (port 465, implicit TLS), starttls (port 587, upgrade to TLS - recommended).

Setup Guide

1. Create an SMTP credential profile in Settings → Vault → Credentials with your SMTP username and password (guide)
2. In DBackup: Notifications → Add Notification → Email (SMTP)
3. Enter your SMTP server details (host, port, security mode)
4. Select the credential profile in the Primary Credential picker
5. Set the From and To addresses (multiple recipients supported)
6. Click Test → check the recipient's inbox (and spam folder) → Save

Common SMTP provider settings

Gmail: smtp.gmail.com:587 (STARTTLS) - requires an App Password, not your regular password.

SendGrid: smtp.sendgrid.net:587 (STARTTLS) - User: apikey, Password: your API key.

Amazon SES: email-smtp.{region}.amazonaws.com:587 (STARTTLS) - SMTP credentials from SES console.

Mailgun: smtp.mailgun.org:587 (STARTTLS) - User: postmaster@your-domain.mailgun.org.

How It Works

• HTML template with colored header bar (green = success, red = failure, blue = info)
• Multiple recipients: Add multiple email addresses in the To field
• Per-user delivery: For login and account events, DBackup can email the affected user directly - configure in Settings → Notifications (see System Notifications)

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused / Timeout

Verify host and port are correct. Check firewall allows outbound connections on the SMTP port. Common mistake: using port 25 instead of 587. In Docker, ensure the container can reach the mail server.

Authentication Failed

Double-check credentials. For Gmail, use an App Password (requires 2-Step Verification enabled). Verify the security setting matches the server's expected protocol.

Email Not Received

Check spam/junk folder, verify the To address, and check sender domain reputation. Configure SPF/DKIM/DMARC records for the sender domain to avoid spam filters.