Amazon SES SMTP with Django

http://aws.amazon.com/articles/2405502737055650

core python functionality sample

After long long searching and trying I found:

Instead using:

 s = smtplib.SMTP(host, port)
 s.starttls()
 s.login(user, password)

For AmazonSES SMTP must be:

 s = smtplib.SMTP_SSL(host, port)
 s.login(user, password)

So, I think, for django you can either fix django code, or write you own simple email backend [based on default django email backend].

UPD:

I found another solution (but not tested it by myself): use SSLEmailBackend from link below

// settings.py
EMAIL_BACKEND = 'backends.smtp.SSLEmailBackend'

(From here: Mysterious issue with Django + uWSGI + send email )

UPD2:

AmazonSES supports STARTTLS from now 🙂

Amazon SES supports expanded attachment types, VERP, and STARTTLS for SMTP

(from Amazon Newsletter)

I took like 3 hrs breaking my head over it. Your solution about the smtplib with s.starttls() and then s.login() is good with a python program with all the email credentials in the same file. But I don’t think it is a clean way to do it in Django. So I finally figured it out. Irrespective of whether your machine is a 32 or a 64 bit. Just do the following steps:

1. Install boto

   pip install –upgrade boto

2. Install django-ses

   pip install django-ses

3. In your djando settings.py file update the following info.

   EMAIL_BACKEND = ‘django_ses.SESBackend’
   AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID = ‘your_username’
   AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY = ‘your_password’

4. In your django file where you want to send an email

   from django.core.mail import send_mail
   send_mail(‘Test subject’, ‘This is the body’, ‘[email protected]’,[‘[email protected]’],fail_silently=False)

Since Django 1.7, you can send email with SSL natively without third party library.

EMAIL_USE_SSL = True

Docs

I have tried smtp settings in order to @Givp(who answered above), I want to give complete AWS SMTP settings in django.

DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = '[email protected]'

ADMINS = [('name', '[email protected]')]
MANAGERS = ADMINS

SERVER_EMAIL = '[email protected]' # this is for to send 500 mail to admins

EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django_smtp_ssl.SSLEmailBackend'
MAIL_HOST = 'email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com' 
EMAIL_PORT = 465
EMAIL_HOST_USER = 'Accesskeyofsmtp'
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = 'secretkeyofsmtp'
EMAIL_USE_TLS = True

Here we have to verify all the mail-ids before sending email.then everything would work as our expectation

2019 Update: Django 2.2.1

EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend'

EMAIL_HOST = 'email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com'
EMAIL_PORT = 587
EMAIL_HOST_USER = 'my_smtp_username'
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = 'my_smtp_password'
EMAIL_USE_TLS = True

No library needed.

Credits : https://stackoverflow.com/a/32476190/5647272

Reference : https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/2.2/topics/email/

Aug, 2022 Update with Django-3.2.4:

No libraries needed such as django-ses or django-amazon-ses !!

EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend'
EMAIL_HOST = 'email-smtp.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com'
EMAIL_PORT = 587
EMAIL_USE_TLS = True
EMAIL_HOST_USER = 'my_smtp_username'      # Must create SMTP Credentials
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = 'my_smtp_password'  # Must create SMTP Credentials
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = '[email protected]' # If don't need, comment out!!

I added DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL.

DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = '[email protected]'

If you don’t need it, comment it out!!

# DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = '[email protected]'

Moreover, for DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL, put one verified domain or email address whether or not your account is in the sandbox.

So for the verified domain sender.com below,

---

Three of them below are valid: (Use only one of three)

DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = '[email protected]' # OR
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = '[email protected]' # OR
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = '[email protected]'

But these two below are not valid: (These give you error)

*The format must be [email protected] !!

DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = 'sender.com' 
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = '@sender.com'

Then, for the verified 2 email addresses below,

---

Just use only one of two below:

DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = '[email protected]' # OR
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = '[email protected]'

Finally, for EMAIL_HOST_USER and EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD, you must create SMTP Credentials.

Choose SMTP Settings:

---

Press Create My SMTP Credentials Button:

---

Given SMTP Credentials:

Then, put the SMTP Credentials as below:

EMAIL_HOST_USER = 'AKIAWP3TMGZN4OZH5H37'
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = 'BB6dufiw96jJHUTrowXI8R4gcyOI+t1+Skbi51cdHYhV'

*(I’ve already deleted these SMTP Credentials)

---