> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.flowx.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Email Sender

> Configure SMTP email connections as data sources to send emails directly from your FlowX.AI processes, including replies to received emails and new outbound messages.

<Tip>
  For Microsoft Outlook mailboxes, you can also use the [Microsoft Outlook](./microsoft-outlook-data-source) data source which connects via the MS Graph API and supports both reading and sending emails in a single data source.
</Tip>

## Overview

<Frame>
  ![Add Data Source - Email Sender](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/5.5/ds_email_sender_selected.png)
</Frame>

Email Sender is a data source type in Integration Designer that provides SMTP connectivity for sending emails from FlowX.AI processes. Combined with the [Send Notification](../../building-blocks/actions/send-notification-action) action, it enables use cases such as:

* **Replying to incoming emails**: Continue email conversation threads started by an [Email Trigger](./email-trigger)
* **Sending outbound notifications**: Send emails directly from business processes
* **Customer communication**: Automated responses, confirmations, and follow-ups

<Info>
  Email Sender handles **outbound** SMTP connections for sending emails. For **inbound** IMAP connections that trigger processes when emails arrive, see [Email Trigger](./email-trigger).
</Info>

***

## How it works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create an Email Sender data source">
    Configure an SMTP connection in Integration Designer with your mail server credentials.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Link to a notification template">
    Select the Email Sender in a notification template's **Email Sender** field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a Send Notification action">
    Add a [Send Notification](../../building-blocks/actions/send-notification-action) action to a process node and select the notification template.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send emails from your process">
    When the action executes, the email is sent directly through the configured SMTP server.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Creating an Email Sender data source

### Prerequisites

Before configuring an Email Sender, ensure you have:

* Access to Integration Designer with appropriate permissions
* SMTP server credentials (host, port, username, password)

### Access Integration Designer

Navigate to **FlowX Designer** → **Your workspace** → **Projects** → **Your project** → **Integrations** → **Data Sources** and click the **+** button to open the **Add Data Source** dialog.

### Configuration fields

Select **Email Sender** from the **Select Data Source** dropdown. The dialog displays all configuration fields in a single view:

<ParamField path="Protocol" type="select" required>
  The email protocol to use. Only **SMTP** is available for Email Sender data sources.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="Server Host" type="string" required>
  The hostname or IP address of your SMTP server.

  **Placeholder:** "Enter Server Host or a Configuration Parameter"

  **Examples:**

  * `smtp.gmail.com`
  * `smtp.office365.com`
  * `mail.yourcompany.com`

  <Tip>
    This field accepts configuration parameters. Use `${configParam}` syntax to reference environment-specific values.
  </Tip>
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="Port" type="number" required>
  The port number for the SMTP connection. The default value updates automatically based on the SSL/TLS setting.

  | SSL/TLS | Default Port |
  | ------- | ------------ |
  | ON      | `587`        |
  | OFF     | `465`        |
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="User" type="string" required>
  The email account username or full email address used for authentication.

  **Placeholder:** "Enter Username or a Configuration Parameter"

  <Tip>
    This field accepts configuration parameters for environment-specific credentials.
  </Tip>
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="Password" type="string" required>
  The password or app-specific password for the email account.

  **Placeholder:** "Enter Password or a Configuration Parameter"

  <Warning>
    For Gmail and other providers with two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled, you may need to generate an app-specific password.
  </Warning>

  <Tip>
    Store sensitive credentials in configuration parameters and reference them here using `${configParam}` syntax.
  </Tip>
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="SSL/TLS" type="boolean">
  Turn on secure connection using SSL/TLS encryption. **Recommended: on.**

  <Info>
    Toggling SSL/TLS updates the default port value automatically.
  </Info>
</ParamField>

### Test the connection

Click the **Test Connection** button to verify your settings before creating the data source:

| Result    | Message                          | Action                                |
| --------- | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| ✅ Success | "Established connection"         | Proceed to set name and create        |
| ❌ Error   | "Failed to establish connection" | Check credentials and server settings |

<Info>
  When you click **Create**, another authentication test is performed. If the test fails, you'll be redirected to the **Authorization** tab with an error message, but the Email Sender will still be created.
</Info>

### Name and description

<ParamField path="Name" type="string" required>
  A unique, descriptive name for the Email Sender.

  **Placeholder:** "Add a name"

  **Validation rules:**

  * Required field
  * Must be unique within the project
  * Only letters, numbers, and these characters allowed: `[]`, `()`, `.`, `_`, `-`
  * Minimum 3 characters, maximum 50 characters
  * Cannot be "Default Server" (this is a reserved name)

  <Warning>
    The name "Default Server" is reserved for the environment-level default SMTP connection and cannot be used. If entered, you will see the error: *"Default Server" is a reserved name and cannot be used.*
  </Warning>
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="Description" type="string">
  Optional description explaining the purpose of this Email Sender.

  **Placeholder:** "Add a description"
</ParamField>

Click **Create** to save the Email Sender data source.

***

## Using with notification templates

After creating an Email Sender data source, you can link it to notification templates:

1. Open a notification template in **Notification Templates**
2. Set **Email Server** to **Predefined Email Connection**
3. In the **Email Sender** field, select your Email Sender data source (or leave as **Default Server** to use the environment-level default)

For more details, see [Managing notification templates](../core-extensions/content-management/notifications-plugin/managing-notification-templates).

***

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Connection test fails">
    Common causes:

    * **Incorrect credentials**: Verify username and password
    * **Wrong port**: Use `587` for SMTP with SSL/TLS, `465` without
    * **Firewall**: Ensure outbound connections to the SMTP server are allowed
    * **2FA enabled**: Generate an app-specific password for the email account
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Emails not being sent">
    Check:

    1. Is the Email Sender linked to a notification template?
    2. Is the notification template's **Email Server** set to **Predefined Email Connection**?
    3. Is the [Send Notification](../../building-blocks/actions/send-notification-action) action configured correctly on the process node?
    4. Review process instance logs for error details
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="'Default Server' name validation error">
    The name "Default Server" is reserved for the environment-level default connection. Choose a different name for your Email Sender data source.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Related resources

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Send Notification Action" icon="paper-plane" href="../../building-blocks/actions/send-notification-action">
    Configure the Send Notification action to send emails from process nodes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Email Trigger" icon="envelope-open-text" href="./email-trigger">
    Configure IMAP connections to trigger processes from incoming emails
  </Card>

  <Card title="Microsoft Outlook" icon="envelope" href="./microsoft-outlook-data-source">
    Connect to Outlook via MS Graph API for reading and sending emails
  </Card>

  <Card title="Notification Templates" icon="file-lines" href="../core-extensions/content-management/notifications-plugin/managing-notification-templates">
    Create and manage email and SMS notification templates
  </Card>

  <Card title="Integration Designer" icon="puzzle-piece" href="./integration-designer">
    Learn about data source types and integration workflows
  </Card>
</CardGroup>