I’m on the hunt for a robust open-source platform to handle transactional emails. My ideal solution would be:
Focused solely on transactional emails, not marketing
Easy integration with services like SendGrid or Mailgun for delivery
Developer-friendly with version-controllable templates
Ability to manage user lists for specific transactional events
Standalone application, separate from the main codebase
I’ve found most SaaS options lacking. Their template engines are often separate from git repos, making version control a pain. Plus, I need more control over user lists for important transactional emails.
Has anyone come across a tool that fits these requirements? If not, I’m considering building one myself. It seems like there’s a gap in the market for a developer-centric, open-source transactional email platform.
Any suggestions or experiences to share? I’d love to hear what others are using to tackle this challenge.
hey charlottew, check out Mautic. its open-source and can handle transactional emails. you can use git for version control and it integrates with sendgrid etc. might need some tweaking for your specific needs but its pretty flexible. worth a look before building from scratch imo
I’ve been down this road before and can totally relate to your frustration. After trying numerous solutions, I stumbled upon Postal. It’s an open-source email platform that might tick most of your boxes.
Postal is self-hosted, focuses on transactional emails, and integrates well with various SMTP providers. The templating system is Git-friendly, allowing for easy version control. It also offers robust user list management capabilities.
One caveat: it’s not exclusively for transactional emails, but you can easily ignore the marketing features. The learning curve can be a bit steep, but the flexibility it offers is worth it in my experience.
If Postal doesn’t quite fit, building your own solution could be rewarding. I’ve seen startups turn similar internal tools into successful products. Just be prepared for the maintenance overhead that comes with it.
Have you considered Mailtrain? It’s an open-source self-hosted solution that, while primarily for newsletters, can be adapted for transactional emails. It supports version-controllable templates and integrates with various SMTP providers.
One advantage is its API, which allows for programmatic management of user lists and sending emails. This could be useful for your transactional event needs. The downside is that you’d need to ignore or disable some marketing-focused features.
If you’re set on building your own solution, consider starting with a library like Nodemailer as a foundation. This approach would give you full control over the architecture while leveraging existing tools for email sending. Just be prepared for the time investment in development and ongoing maintenance.