2

I am developing a site on my computer using wamp. When it is done the site will send a lot of emails and I will set up an email server along with wamp and figure that configuration out when that time comes. In the mean time I would like to know the method of minimum hassle for developing the site on local host. Here are some criteria that I would like a solution to meet, and also some information about my setup.

I am using CodeIgniter and wamp.

I do not want to port forward as I am not always on the same network and I many of the networks I am on I do not have access to port forward anyway.

I would rather avoid installing some sort of email server on my computer IF that can be avoided.

Can I get some advice on best practice for developing a website that sends emails?

  • you can check "mailcatcher" out, it's useful during development stage. –  Mar 06 '14 at 20:32
  • possible duplicate of [How to configure WAMP (localhost) to send email using Gmail?](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/600725/how-to-configure-wamp-localhost-to-send-email-using-gmail) – Sanoob Mar 06 '14 at 20:33

2 Answers2

4

Use Mailgun API to send emails. It is free(10K emails/month) for basic usage and testing purposes. Also have a look at Mandrill, I haven't tried this yet. But it is from Mailchimp and looks promising. It is also have a free plan (12K emails/month).

Hope this helps :)

Ijas Ameenudeen
  • 9,069
  • 3
  • 41
  • 54
  • This is the way to go. Amazon SES is another option. They have the benefit of scaling well, being ready for heavy traffic, and being much easier to use then an actual SMTP server. – Kyros Mar 06 '14 at 20:38
  • Mandrill by Mailchimp; I wonder why Mailchimp users don't move to Mandrill(?) Mailchimp's prices are phenomenal compared to Mandrill; what gives? Oh, and +1 by the way, two good resources I wasn't aware of till now. – Funk Forty Niner Mar 06 '14 at 20:45
  • @Fred-ii- Mandrill is pretty much raw email sending. You'd have to manage your own lists, segmentation, email templates, analytics, sign-up forms, etc. that Mandrill handles for you. – ceejayoz Mar 06 '14 at 20:50
  • @ceejayoz Thanks, I appreciate the added information. – Funk Forty Niner Mar 06 '14 at 21:05
  • Whoops, should've said "that Mailchimp handles for you" there. :-) – ceejayoz Mar 06 '14 at 21:09
  • @ceejayoz Not a problem. I would've found out for myself eventually lol! cheers – Funk Forty Niner Mar 06 '14 at 21:10
1

You can configure your CI site to use an SMTP server (gmail, etc).

Just use your personal email account, or create a new email account for the web site. See http://ellislab.com/codeigniter/user-guide/libraries/email.html for more info.

Sam Dufel
  • 17,560
  • 3
  • 48
  • 51