Using the AWS SDK to Send Emails with Amazon SES in Node.js

Using the AWS SDK to Send Emails with Amazon SES

The AWS SDK provides a more performant and feature-rich alternative to SMTP for sending emails with SES.

Step 1: Install the AWS SDK

npm install @aws-sdk/client-ses

Step 2: Configure the SES Client

// src/utils/sesClient.js
const { SESClient } = require("@aws-sdk/client-ses");

const sesClient = new SESClient({
  region: process.env.AWS_REGION || "us-east-1",
  credentials: {
    accessKeyId: process.env.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID,
    secretAccessKey: process.env.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
  }
});

module.exports = sesClient;

Step 3: Send a Simple Email

const { SendEmailCommand } = require("@aws-sdk/client-ses");
const sesClient = require("./utils/sesClient");

const sendEmail = async (to, subject, html, text) => {
  const params = {
    Source: process.env.SES_FROM,
    Destination: {
      ToAddresses: [to]
    },
    Message: {
      Subject: { Data: subject, Charset: "UTF-8" },
      Body: {
        Html: { Data: html, Charset: "UTF-8" },
        Text: { Data: text, Charset: "UTF-8" }
      }
    }
  };

  try {
    const command = new SendEmailCommand(params);
    const result = await sesClient.send(command);
    console.log("Email sent:", result.MessageId);
    return result;
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("SES error:", err);
    throw err;
  }
};

// Usage
await sendEmail(
  "[email protected]",
  "Welcome to DevTinder",
  "<h1>Welcome!</h1>",
  "Welcome to DevTinder!"
);

Step 4: Send to Multiple Recipients

const params = {
  Source: process.env.SES_FROM,
  Destination: {
    ToAddresses: ["[email protected]", "[email protected]"],
    CcAddresses: ["[email protected]"],
    BccAddresses: ["[email protected]"]
  },
  Message: {
    Subject: { Data: "Newsletter", Charset: "UTF-8" },
    Body: {
      Html: { Data: "<p>Newsletter content</p>", Charset: "UTF-8" }
    }
  }
};

Step 5: Use SES Templates

SES templates are stored on AWS and reused across emails:

const { CreateTemplateCommand, SendTemplatedEmailCommand } = require("@aws-sdk/client-ses");

// Create a template (one-time)
const createTemplate = async () => {
  const params = {
    Template: {
      TemplateName: "WelcomeEmail",
      SubjectPart: "Welcome to DevTinder, {{firstName}}!",
      HtmlPart: "<h1>Welcome, {{firstName}}!</h1><p>Your account is ready.</p>",
      TextPart: "Welcome, {{firstName}}! Your account is ready."
    }
  };
  await sesClient.send(new CreateTemplateCommand(params));
};

// Send using template
const sendTemplatedEmail = async (to, templateName, templateData) => {
  const params = {
    Source: process.env.SES_FROM,
    Destination: { ToAddresses: [to] },
    Template: templateName,
    TemplateData: JSON.stringify(templateData)
  };
  
  const result = await sesClient.send(new SendTemplatedEmailCommand(params));
  return result;
};

// Usage
await sendTemplatedEmail("[email protected]", "WelcomeEmail", {
  firstName: "John"
});

Step 6: Use Configuration Sets for Tracking

const params = {
  Source: process.env.SES_FROM,
  Destination: { ToAddresses: [to] },
  Message: { ... },
  ConfigurationSetName: "DevTinderConfigSet"
};

Configuration sets enable:

• Open tracking (pixel image)
• Click tracking (link wrapping)
• Bounce and complaint notifications
• Event publishing to CloudWatch or SNS

Step 7: Handle Bounces and Complaints

const { GetIdentityVerificationAttributesCommand } = require("@aws-sdk/client-ses");

// Check if an email bounced
const checkBounce = async (email) => {
  // Set up SNS notification for bounces
  // When a bounce occurs, SES sends a notification to SNS
  // Your app processes the SNS message and marks the email as bounced

  // Mark bounced emails in your database
  await User.findOneAndUpdate(
    { email },
    { emailBounced: true, emailBouncedAt: new Date() }
  );
};

AWS SDK vs SMTP: Which to Use?

Use AWS SDK if: You're already using AWS, want templates, need configuration sets, or want better performance. Use SMTP if: You're using Nodemailer or migrating from another SMTP service.

The Takeaway

The AWS SDK provides a more feature-rich interface for SES than SMTP. Use SendEmailCommand for simple emails, CreateTemplateCommand and SendTemplatedEmailCommand for reusable templates, and ConfigurationSetName for tracking. The SDK is faster than SMTP and integrates better with AWS services like SNS for bounce handling.