Email (SMTP)
The Email (SMTP) category configures outbound email for your Hawkra instance. Email is used for user registration verification codes, password reset links, and system notifications. Without SMTP configured, all email-dependent features are disabled.
Settings Reference
| Setting | Key | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMTP Host | smtp_host | String | Empty | Hostname of your SMTP server (e.g., smtp.gmail.com, smtp.sendgrid.net) |
| SMTP Port | smtp_port | Integer | 587 | SMTP port. Use 587 for STARTTLS or 465 for SSL/TLS |
| SMTP Encryption | smtp_encryption | Dropdown | starttls | starttls (port 587) or ssl (port 465) |
| SMTP Username | smtp_username | String | Empty | Username for SMTP authentication |
| SMTP Password | smtp_password | String | Empty | Password or API key for SMTP authentication |
| SMTP From Address | smtp_from_address | String | Empty | Sender address for outbound emails (e.g., noreply@yourdomain.com) |
Provider Quick Reference
| Provider | Host | Port | Encryption | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail | smtp.gmail.com | 587 | STARTTLS | App Passwords |
| SendGrid | smtp.sendgrid.net | 587 | STARTTLS | SMTP Docs |
| Mailgun | smtp.mailgun.org | 587 | STARTTLS | SMTP Docs |
Configuration via Environment Variables
SMTP can also be configured entirely through environment variables. When all six SMTP environment variables are set, the backend initializes email support at startup without needing dashboard configuration.
| Setting | Environment Variable |
|---|---|
| SMTP Host | SMTP_HOST |
| SMTP Port | SMTP_PORT |
| SMTP Encryption | SMTP_ENCRYPTION |
| SMTP Username | SMTP_USERNAME |
| SMTP Password | SMTP_PASSWORD |
| SMTP From Address | SMTP_FROM_ADDRESS |
note
Environment variables take priority over dashboard values. If you set SMTP_HOST as an environment variable, the dashboard value for SMTP Host is ignored at runtime. This is useful for keeping secrets like the SMTP password in your .env file rather than the database.