What is the complete SES setup process?
Verify domain (add DKIM CNAME records), add SPF and DMARC TXT records, get SMTP or AWS SDK credentials, request production access (exit sandbox), install Nodemailer or AWS SDK, create email transport, build templates, send with error handling, set up SNS bounce/complaint notifications, and monitor deliverability.
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More FAQs in Amazon SES Summary and Best Practices Complete Guide for Node.js Email
Use consistent from address, include HTML and plain text, use templates, send asynchronously via queue, check canSendEmail before sending, retry on throttling with backoff, handle bounces via SNS, warm up domain gradually, keep bounce rate < 5% and complaint rate < 0.1%, and test with mail-tester.com.
$0.10 per 1,000 emails. Free tier includes 62,000 emails/month when sent from EC2. For a small app like DevTinder with 1,000 users sending 5 emails each per month (5,000 total), the cost is $0 (within free tier).
Use the AWS SDK for better performance, SES templates, configuration sets, and detailed errors. Use Nodemailer SMTP if you're using Nodemailer's features, migrating from another SMTP service, or need to switch email providers easily. Both work well.
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