PDNS Manager

SMTP & welcome mail

PDNS Manager needs mail for three things: password reset, welcome mail on self-registration and occasional notifications. The SMTP config lives in the panel (DB), not in .env – which makes it easy to swap providers in production.

Configure SMTP

Settings → SMTP:

  • Host – e.g. mail.example.com or an external provider like smtp.eu.mailgun.org.
  • Port – typically 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (TLS).
  • User / Password – SMTP credentials.
  • Sender – e.g. "PDNS Manager <[email protected]>".
  • Encryption – STARTTLS or TLS.

Send a test mail

Two buttons in the SMTP panel:

  • Test connection – opens an SMTP session without sending. Useful when "is the auth user wrong?".
  • Send test mail – sends a real mail to the address you enter. Confirms the full path including SPF/DKIM/spam filters.

Welcome mail (self-registration)

If you allow self-registration (ENABLE_REGISTRATION=true), you can send a greeting mail. Settings → Welcome mail:

  • Active – enables the mail at all.
  • Subject – with placeholders.
  • Body – plain text or HTML, with placeholders.

Placeholders

PlaceholderReplaced with
{username}Chosen username
{email}User's email
{login_url}Direct login link (e.g. https://pdns.example.com/login)
{app_name}Configured app name

Example

Subject:  Welcome to {app_name}, {username}!

Hi {username},

your account is ready. Sign in here:

  {login_url}

Any questions? Just reply to this mail.

Cheers,
the {app_name} team

Other mails

  • Password reset – /forgot-password sends a short-lived token.
  • Admin reset – when an admin clicks "send reset mail" from the user panel.

Common issues

SymptomFix
"SMTP connection failed"Wrong port. External providers almost always 587/STARTTLS or 465/TLS – not 25.
Connection works, mail doesn't arriveCheck SPF/DKIM, spam folder, provider's send logs.
"Mail relaying denied"The SMTP auth user isn't allowed to send from the chosen address. Pick a different sender or get it whitelisted.
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