Getting Started Guide

A simple guide for getting started with the AuthSMTP outgoing email service.

Step 1 - Sign Up

Before you can begin sending emails using the AuthSMTP service, you will need to sign up for an account.

  • If you haven't already signed up for an account - please go to the pricing page, choose a package and click 'Get Started'
  • An account activation link will be sent to your email address
  • If you used a Paypal account, it will be the email address associated with your Paypal account

Step 2 - Activating your account

Before you can access your account, you will need to activate it by setting your account passwords and billing details.

  • Click on the account activation link in the email sent to you
  • You will be prompted to set the following:
    1. Control Panel Password
    2. SMTP Password
    3. Billing details
  • It is very important that you keep a secure copy of your passwords, they cannot be recovered once set, you can only reset to a new password
  • Once you have set the billing details, a PDF invoice for your signup payment will automatically be emailed to you.

Step 3 - Setting up your account

Our control panel contains a setup tool that will guide you through each of the required steps for setting up your account, it is important that you follow these steps.

  1. Add your sending domain
  2. Publish valid SPF and DMARC records and setup AuthSMTP DKIM signing
  3. Verify the authentication records and authorise your From Addresses
  4. Test SMTP Ports (optional)
  5. Copy SMTP Settings (optional)
  6. Configure your email program / application
  7. Send some test messages
  8. Complete account verification questionnaire

Before a customer-owned sending domain can be authorised, it must have a valid SPF record covering AuthSMTP and every other legitimate sender, a valid DMARC record, and a verified AuthSMTP DKIM configuration. p=none is acceptable as a starting DMARC monitoring policy, but the longer-term plan should be to progress to p=quarantine and then p=reject after checking reports and correcting alignment.

For new DKIM configurations, use the recommended CNAME method described in the AuthSMTP DKIM setup guide. DKIM is configured per sending domain, and you must copy the selector and destination generated for that domain in the AuthSMTP Control Panel rather than using an example value. Publish one complete SPF record rather than a separate SPF record for AuthSMTP.

Once you have submitted the verification questionnaire, we will normally verify your account within an hour providing there are no outstanding issues.

Step 4 - Important Note

For security reasons, all new accounts are limited to sending a maximum of 30 messages until they have been verified.