---
layout: integration
title: Email with Amazon SES
description: Send customized emails to your users through Amazon Simple Email Service
date: 2026-11-06
featured: false
isPartner: true
isNew: true
cover: /images/integrations/email-amazon-ses/cover.avif
category: messaging
product:
    vendor: AWS
    description: "Amazon Simple Email Service (Amazon SES) is a cloud email service from AWS for sending transactional, marketing, and notification email."
platform:
    - 'Self-hosted'
    - 'Cloud'
---

[Amazon Simple Email Service (Amazon SES)](https://aws.amazon.com/ses/) is a cloud email service from AWS for sending transactional, marketing, and notification email. You verify the domains and addresses you send from, and SES handles delivery, sending quotas, and bounce and complaint tracking in the AWS region you choose.

# How does the integration work?

You can use the Amazon SES provider in Appwrite Messaging to send customized emails to your users, such as reminders, promotions, announcements, and custom authentication flows. Emails can be sent immediately or scheduled, to [topics](/docs/products/messaging/topics), users, or individual [targets](/docs/products/messaging/targets).

Appwrite calls the SES API v2 with an IAM access key, in the region you select. Messages without attachments are sent in batches through SES email templates, and messages with attachments are sent to one recipient at a time. Your verified identities, sending quotas, and sender reputation stay in your own AWS account.

**SES email templates**

Appwrite registers each unique message as an SES email template whose name starts with `utopia-`, and it doesn't delete these templates. If you send many unique messages, delete old `utopia-` templates from time to time to stay under your account's template quota.

# How to implement

To implement the Amazon SES provider in Appwrite Messaging, there are several steps you must complete:

## Step 1: Verify a sending identity in Amazon SES

First, open the [Amazon SES console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/ses/) and select the AWS region you want to send from. [Verify an identity](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ses/latest/dg/verify-addresses-and-domains.html) for the address your emails come from, either a whole domain or a single email address.

New SES accounts start in the sandbox, where you can only send to verified addresses. [Request production access](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ses/latest/dg/request-production-access.html) before you send emails to your users.

## Step 2: Create an IAM access key

Next, create an IAM user for Appwrite in the [IAM console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/) and allow it to call the SES actions Appwrite uses:

| Action | Used for |
| --- | --- |
| `ses:SendBulkEmail` | Sending messages without attachments. |
| `ses:CreateEmailTemplate` | Registering each unique message as an SES email template. |
| `ses:SendEmail` | Sending messages with attachments. |

Then [create an access key](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_access-keys.html) for the user. Save the access key ID and the secret access key for the next step.

## Step 3: Add the Amazon SES provider to your Appwrite project

For this step, you must [create an account on Appwrite Cloud](/sign-up) or [self-host Appwrite](/docs/advanced/self-hosting) if you haven't already. In your Appwrite project, head to **Messaging** > **Providers**, click **Add provider**, and choose **Amazon SES** under **Email**.

Give your provider a name and fill in the following fields:

| Field name | |
| --- | --- |
| Access key | The IAM access key ID you created in the previous step. |
| Secret key | The secret access key that belongs to the access key ID. |
| Region | The AWS region of your verified SES identity. Select the same region you use in the Amazon SES console. |
| Sender email | The address emails are sent from. It must be a verified email address or belong to a verified domain in Amazon SES. |
| Sender name | The sender name that appears in the emails sent from this provider. |
| Reply-to email | The reply-to email that appears in the emails sent from this provider. |
| Reply-to name | The reply-to name that appears in the emails sent from this provider. |

Click **Create provider** to save and enable the provider.

## Step 4: Test the Amazon SES provider

Before you proceed, you must already have at least one [topic](/docs/products/messaging/topics) or [target](/docs/products/messaging/targets) set up.

Go to **Messaging** > **Messages**, click **Create message**, and choose **Email**. Write a test message, select one of your test targets, set the schedule to **Now**, and click **Send**. Check that the email arrives in your inbox. If it doesn't, check the logs in the Appwrite Console and the sending activity in the Amazon SES console.

To send emails from your backend instead, follow the [Send email messages](/docs/products/messaging/send-email-messages) guide with an [Appwrite Server SDK](/docs/sdks#server).

# Read more about Amazon SES and Appwrite Messaging

If you would like to learn more about Amazon SES and Appwrite Messaging, we have some resources that you should visit:

- [Amazon SES developer guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ses/latest/dg/Welcome.html)
- [Set up the Amazon SES provider in Appwrite Messaging](/docs/products/messaging/ses)
- [Send email messages through Appwrite Messaging](/docs/products/messaging/send-email-messages)
- [Appwrite Messaging API reference](/docs/references/cloud/server-nodejs/messaging)