📬Mail configuration

This guide details configuring the mail connection for the Eazy Laravel backend application, enabling features like user registration verification, booking confirmations, and password reset emails.

Prerequisites:

• A functional Eazy Laravel application (refer to installation guide)

• An email service provider account (e.g., Gmail, SendGrid, Mailgun)

Configuration Steps:

1. Choose Your Email Service:

Select an email service provider that meets your needs and budget. Popular options include:

• Gmail (limited functionality for free accounts)

• SendGrid

• Mailgun

• Amazon SES

1. Create an Email Account/API Key:

Follow your chosen service provider's instructions to create an email account or API key that will be used by the Eazy application to send emails. Note down the credentials you obtain (e.g., username, password, API key).

1. Update .env File:

Open the .env file (located at the root of your project) in a text editor. Locate the mail configuration sections and update them with your obtained credentials.

Here's an example configuration for different email service providers:

Gmail:

MAIL_DRIVER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=your_gmail_username
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_gmail_password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls

SendGrid/Mailgun (using API Key):

MAIL_DRIVER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.sendgrid.net  # Or smtp.mailgun.org for Mailgun
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=your_api_key
MAIL_PASSWORD=''  # Leave password blank for API key authentication
[email protected]
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls

Replace placeholders with your actual credentials. Be sure to enable "Less secure app access" in your Gmail settings if using a free Gmail account (https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6010255?hl=en).

1. Test Mail Functionality:

After updating the .env file, you can test the mail functionality using Laravel's built-in mail sending capabilities.

One approach is to use the Artisan command:

Bash

php artisan mail:test

Use code with caution.content_copy

This command will attempt to send a test email using the configured mail settings. If successful, you should receive a test email at the address specified in MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS.

Additional Considerations:

• Sending Emails from Your Application: Refer to the Laravel documentation (https://laravel.com/docs/11.x/mail) for methods to send emails programmatically within your application (e.g., user registration email).

• Security: Consider using environment variables (.env) to store sensitive email credentials and avoid exposing them in your code.

• Custom Sender Address: You may want to configure a custom sender email address for your application (e.g., [email protected]). This can be done in the .env file using the MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS setting.

• Advanced Configuration: Laravel offers various options for mail configuration, including setting up fallbacks, attachments, and custom formatting. Refer to the Laravel documentation for in-depth information.