# Can I use my own SMTP server for newsletters?

**URL:** <https://forum.ghost.org/t/can-i-use-my-own-smtp-server-for-newsletters/18997>\
**Category:** Developer help\
**Created:** [December 20, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://forum.ghost.org/t/can-i-use-my-own-smtp-server-for-newsletters/18997 "2020-12-20T00:34:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CheezBallz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.ghost.org/cheezballz/32/10760_2.png) [@CheezBallz](https://forum.ghost.org/u/CheezBallz)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://forum.ghost.org/t/can-i-use-my-own-smtp-server-for-newsletters/18997/1 "2020-12-20T00:34:06Z")

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I’m learning how to create a bulk email server (dedicated IP, warming up the server slowly, etc). Will the newsletter function work if I use my own SMTP instead of Mailgun? Or will it only work if Mailgun is used?

Please note that I’m only asking if Ghost’s newsletter function will work with custom SMTP settings - I’m _not_ asking how to setup an email server, if it’s a good idea, or anything like that. My question is specific to how Ghost functions & nothing else.

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**Author:** ![Stromfeldt](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.ghost.org/stromfeldt/32/13572_2.png) [@Stromfeldt](https://forum.ghost.org/u/Stromfeldt)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://forum.ghost.org/t/can-i-use-my-own-smtp-server-for-newsletters/18997/2 "2020-12-20T00:51:18Z")

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The answer to your question can be found here:

> **[Why do I have to set up Mailgun for newsletters?](https://ghost.org/docs/faq/mailgun-newsletters/)**
>
> Sending bulk email to many recipients using SMTP is not supported. In order to send newsletters from Ghost you'll need to setup Bulk Mail with Mailgun.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CheezBallz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.ghost.org/cheezballz/32/10760_2.png) [@CheezBallz](https://forum.ghost.org/u/CheezBallz)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://forum.ghost.org/t/can-i-use-my-own-smtp-server-for-newsletters/18997/3 "2020-12-20T22:59:45Z")

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Not exactly. When I read that Ghost requires the Mailgun API I thought config would need an API key. But configuring Mailgun in a self-hosted install requires this in config.production.json:

```auto
"mail": {  
  "transport": "SMTP",  
  "options": {  
    "service": "Mailgun",  
    "host": "smtp.eu.mailgun.org",  
    "port": "587",  
    "auth": {  
      "user": "postmaster@your_domain.com",  
      "pass": "your_password"  
    }  
  }  
}  

```

It’s just SMTP settings, though specific to Mailgun. Perhaps my more specific question should be _Will newsletters work if the SMTP host is something other than [smtp.eu.mailgun.org](http://smtp.eu.mailgun.org)?_

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kevin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.ghost.org/kevin/32/32_2.png) [@Kevin](https://forum.ghost.org/u/Kevin)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 12:19am UTC](https://forum.ghost.org/t/can-i-use-my-own-smtp-server-for-newsletters/18997/4 "2020-12-21T00:19:17Z")

</div>

@CheezBallz those config settings are for transactional email (signup, signin, staff invite, etc), you can use any mail server for that although a dedicated transactional email service is recommended. For bulk email/member newsletters only Mailgun is supported and is set up with an API key via the admin interface.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CheezBallz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.ghost.org/cheezballz/32/10760_2.png) [@CheezBallz](https://forum.ghost.org/u/CheezBallz)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://forum.ghost.org/t/can-i-use-my-own-smtp-server-for-newsletters/18997/5 "2020-12-21T20:10:37Z")

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Thank you Kevin - that’s exactly the answer I was looking for. I read through all of the docs over the weekend and must have overlooked the specific part mentioning the API key.

Can Mailgun also be used for transactional emails?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kevin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.ghost.org/kevin/32/32_2.png) [@Kevin](https://forum.ghost.org/u/Kevin)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2020, 9:55am UTC](https://forum.ghost.org/t/can-i-use-my-own-smtp-server-for-newsletters/18997/6 "2020-12-22T09:55:02Z")

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> [@CheezBallz](#):
>
> Can Mailgun also be used for transactional emails?

Yes, any mail server can be used for transactional emails. You’ll need to configure it in the `config.production.json` file using SMTP auth rather than an API key.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![loviuz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.ghost.org/loviuz/32/36420_2.png) [@loviuz](https://forum.ghost.org/u/loviuz)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://forum.ghost.org/t/can-i-use-my-own-smtp-server-for-newsletters/18997/7 "2025-06-08T20:34:04Z")

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Now you can :-)

> [@Finally a clone of Mailgun API! (aka you can send newsletters with your SMTP)](https://forum.ghost.org/t/finally-a-clone-of-mailgun-api-aka-you-can-send-newsletters-with-your-smtp/57992):
>
> Hi all! Finally today I released the first version of a clone of Mailgun’s REST API! The main working API is the API that send emails. Stats and advanced features are not yet supported, but you can send newsletters :-P This way, all the users disappointed that you couldn’t use your own SMTP server, you can use this web application, configure it with your own SMTP server and send newsletters from Ghost making them think they are using Mailgun, but they actually use the same API but through th…