SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the standard protocol for sending email between servers. When an app sends mail through your SMTP server, it signs in to that server, and the email leaves from your address and domain.

A connection needs a host, a port, an encryption type, a username and a password. The usual pairs are port 587 with TLS (STARTTLS) and port 465 with SSL. SMTP only sends mail. Reading a mailbox uses other protocols, IMAP or POP3.

How it works in SurveyNinja

By default, SurveyNinja sends survey emails from noreply@surveyninja.io. On the Premium plan and higher you can connect your company's SMTP server, and then two kinds of emails go out from your address:

• email notifications about new responses to you and your colleagues;
• thank-you emails to respondents.

Your SMTP also unlocks the HTML editor for these emails, where you paste your own template. Emails about bookings and service emails (sign-in, password reset, payments) are still sent by SurveyNinja. A workspace has one SMTP server, and Sending Logs show each email with its status and any error from your server.

Steps and error messages: Custom SMTP server. Setting up the emails: Email notifications. SMTP here is for response emails; SurveyNinja doesn't send email campaigns.

Common mistakes

• The SMTP account isn't allowed to send from the address in From whom, so the server rejects the emails. Use an address your account can send from.
• The provider needs a separate app password for SMTP, and the regular password fails.
• While your SMTP is on, rejected emails aren't resent through SurveyNinja's servers. Check Sending Logs when emails don't arrive.