Email notifications are a great way to keep your users informed about important events or updates in your application, such as a new message, a password reset, or a system failure. There are multiple methods for sending email notifications, and while the process may not be complex, it's important to choose the right approach for your needs.
In this blog, we will be looking at how to send emails using Python with the help of code snippets. We will also compare the SMTP module used in Python with other popular solutions.
Pre-Requisites
Before getting started with this guide, there are a few things you will need to have to get the most out of it.
With these things in mind, you should be ready to get started!
This section will discuss four different ways developers can send transactional emails using Python.
The smtplib Python module can send emails using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). SMTP is a protocol that is used to send and receive emails. The smtplib module includes functions that can be used to connect to an SMTP server and send emails. The module also includes functions that can authenticate with an SMTP server.
There are many benefits of using the smtplib module. For example, you can use smtplib to:
There are a few potential drawbacks to using SMTP to send python emails. One is that it can be less reliable than other methods; sometimes, emails sent via SMTP get lost or end up in spam folders.
Additionally, SMTP relies on several complex protocols, making it difficult to configure and troubleshoot. Maintaining and upgrading SMTP servers can also entail additional costs.
You can use MIMEText or EmailMessage module to create and format the message. Below are the steps to send an email using Python with the smtplib and MIMEText module.
Note: Replace the SMTP server address (localhost) with your server address before running the below code.
Transactional Email Service Providers (TESPs) enable businesses to send transactional emails. There are many options to choose from, including Amazon SES, Mailgun, Sendgrid, Postmark, and Sparkpost, each with its own benefits and features.
It's important to select a TESP that meets your needs in terms of pricing, delivery rates, scalability, and support, and also offers a strong API for integration into your system.
Transactional Email Service Providers (TESP) offer several advantages over traditional email providers. TESPs are designed to provide a higher level of service and reliability for businesses that rely on email to communicate with their customers.
TESPs can provide a cost-effective way to send transactional emails, as they typically charge based on the number of emails sent or received.
TESPs typically offer several features that are not available with traditional email providers, such as dedicated IP addresses, real-time monitoring, and delivery reports.
This section will use Python with AWS SES to send emails. AWS SES is a cloud-based email service that lets you send and receive emails securely. It offers a cost-effective, pay-as-you-go pricing model and provides a scalable, reliable, and secure platform for email delivery.
We'll use the Boto3 library to interact with AWS SES. Here are the steps followed in AWS SES send email python process.
Suprsend is a platform that allows developers to create and manage notifications across multiple channels, such as email, SMS, push notifications, inbox messages, and chat.
SuprSend workflows simplify the process of building and managing complex notifications, as well as performance tracking to monitor the effectiveness of the messages. Using a single API, streamlines the process of sending notifications, and eliminates the need for developers to write their own notification service layer.
To get started, first install Suprsend Python SDK using the following command:
pip install suprsend-py-sdk
To send notifications using Suprsend, you’ll need a Workspace Key & Secret (for authentication). You can modify the default workflow and notification template or can create a new workflow and template.
Note: We have created a sample template and workflow on the SuprSend platform for this tutorial.
Adding python email attachments using Suprsend is a piece of cake. Just add the following code snippets to add an attachment via a file path directly. The workflow object will look something like this:
Gmail is one of the most popular email providers and for a good reason. It's free, it's easy to use, and it's packed with features. But did you know that you can also use Gmail with Python?
Yes, it's true! You can use the Gmail API to send and receive emails with Python. And the best part is that it's not even that difficult. This section will show you how to send emails using Gmail with Python.
There are many benefits to using the Gmail API to send emails. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that it allows you to send emails directly from your Gmail account, which can be very convenient.
Additionally, the Gmail API can provide a more reliable and responsive experience than other email-sending methods. And because the Gmail API is integrated with other Google services, it can offer some unique features and advantages that other email providers cannot match.
There are a few drawbacks to using the Gmail API:
Companies avoid using Gmail as a scalable email solution because of its drawbacks.
Learn more about Gmail API usage limits.
And with that, we hope we have been able to give you a comprehensive guide on using Python to send emails. If you are looking for a multi-channel scalable notification solution and a way to make your development process more streamlined and efficient, check out SuprSend.