> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ahasend.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> AhaSend stores all message data in the EU. See /facts.
> The API base URL is https://api.ahasend.com. Send the API key in the Authorization: Bearer header. See /api-reference/authentication.
> Use send.ahasend.com for SMTP in the EU, or send-us.ahasend.com as a US connection point forwarding to the EU. Ports 25, 587 and 2525 use STARTTLS. Port 465 is not supported. See /smtp.
> For send-only integrations, create an API Key v2 under Credentials → Add and scope it to messages:send:{your-domain}. See /send-api/credentials and /api-reference/scopes.

# How to Send Email with Django via SMTP

> Send email from Django through AhaSend SMTP: configure the email backend with STARTTLS, run a short sandbox test and report failed sends clearly.

AhaSend lets Django send email through its built-in SMTP backend; this guide configures STARTTLS and tests both a short send and an application setup.

Before sending, [verify your domain](/docs/domains) and [create an SMTP credential](/docs/smtp/credentials). Use a [sandbox credential](/docs/send-api/sandbox) for these examples so no email is delivered. Keep the username and password in your server's secret store.

Use Python 3.13 for this Django 5.2 LTS example. Set `SMTP_USERNAME`, `SMTP_PASSWORD` and `AHASEND_FROM` in your local environment before running the code.

## Install Django

```bash theme={null}
python3.13 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install 'Django>=5.2,<5.3'
```

Save this as `quick_send.py`:

```python quick_send.py theme={null}
import os
from django.conf import settings
from django.core.mail import send_mail
settings.configure(
    EMAIL_BACKEND="django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend",
    EMAIL_HOST="send.ahasend.com", EMAIL_PORT=587, EMAIL_USE_TLS=True,
    EMAIL_HOST_USER=os.environ["SMTP_USERNAME"],
    EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=os.environ["SMTP_PASSWORD"], EMAIL_TIMEOUT=10,
)
count = send_mail("Django sandbox test", "Hello from AhaSend",
                  os.environ["AHASEND_FROM"], ["recipient@example.com"],
                  fail_silently=False)
if count != 1:
    raise RuntimeError("Email was not accepted")
print("Accepted by SMTP")
```

Run `python quick_send.py`. It exits with an error if sending fails.

## Configure the Application Backend

Save this as `mail_settings.py` for the standalone check, or add the settings to your existing Django settings module. They use [Django's SMTP backend](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/5.2/topics/email/#smtp-backend).

```python mail_settings.py theme={null}
import os
EMAIL_BACKEND = "django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend"
EMAIL_HOST = "send.ahasend.com"
EMAIL_PORT = 587
EMAIL_USE_TLS = True
EMAIL_USE_SSL = False
EMAIL_HOST_USER = os.environ["SMTP_USERNAME"]
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = os.environ["SMTP_PASSWORD"]
EMAIL_TIMEOUT = 10
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = os.environ["AHASEND_FROM"]
```

Keep credentials in your deployment's secret store. `EMAIL_USE_TLS` enables STARTTLS; [port 465 and implicit TLS are unsupported](/docs/smtp).

## Send from Your Application

Save this as `send_email.py` beside `mail_settings.py`. Set `AHASEND_TO=recipient@example.com` for the sandbox check.

```python send_email.py theme={null}
import os, sys
import django
os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "mail_settings")
django.setup()
from django.conf import settings
from django.core.mail import EmailMultiAlternatives

def send_welcome(recipient):
    message = EmailMultiAlternatives("Your account is ready", "Welcome to your account.",
                                    settings.DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL, [recipient])
    message.attach_alternative("<p>Welcome to your account.</p>", "text/html")
    if message.send(fail_silently=False) != 1:
        raise RuntimeError("Email was not accepted")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    try:
        send_welcome(os.environ["AHASEND_TO"])
        print("Accepted by SMTP")
    except Exception:
        print("Email failed; check the job and SMTP settings.", file=sys.stderr)
        sys.exit(1)
```

Run `python send_email.py`. In a real Django project, call `send_welcome` from an authorized backend task using the recipient saved for that user. Save the job's result and avoid blind retries after a connection closes during submission: SMTP does not offer API idempotency keys. Use [webhooks](/docs/integrations/webhooks) for final delivery outcomes.

## Related Guides

* Before sending: [verify your domain](/docs/domains) and [create an SMTP credential](/docs/smtp/credentials).
* Connection and message rules: [SMTP hosts, ports and limits](/docs/smtp), [special headers](/docs/smtp/special-headers), [sandbox mode](/docs/send-api/sandbox), [retention](/docs/retention) and [plan features](/docs/facts#plans-and-features).
* Other ways to send: [REST API](/docs/send-api/send-email), [AhaSend CLI](/docs/cli/quickstart), [Node.js SDK](/docs/guides/nodejs-sdk) and [Go SDK](/docs/guides/go-sdk).
* Delivery events: [webhook setup](/docs/integrations/webhooks) and [local webhook testing](/docs/cli/webhook-testing).