Email Providers

LightNap includes a flexible email system for sending transactional emails such as password resets, email verification codes, and two-factor authentication tokens. The email functionality is split into two concerns:

  • IEmailService - Determines what emails to send and manages email templates and content
  • IEmailSender - Handles how emails are sent (SMTP, console logging, etc.)

This separation allows you to easily switch email providers without changing your application logic.

Available Providers

SMTP Provider

Send emails through any SMTP-compatible email server, including popular services like SendGrid, Mailgun, Gmail, and Office 365.

Best For: Production deployments, real email delivery

Configuration: Requires SMTP server details, credentials, and sender information

Log To Console Provider

Logs email content to the console instead of actually sending emails. Perfect for development and testing when you need to verify email content without setting up an SMTP server. This is the default provider.

Best For: Local development, testing, demos

Configuration: Minimal; only requires sender display name

Configuration

Email providers are configured in appsettings.json under the Email node:

{
  "Email": {
    "Provider": "LogToConsole", // or "Smtp"
    "FromEmail": "noreply@example.com",
    "FromDisplayName": "LightNap App",
    "SiteUrlRootForLinks": "https://yourdomain.com/",
    "Smtp": {
      "Host": "smtp.sendgrid.net",
      "Port": 587,
      "EnableSsl": true,
      "User": "apikey",
      "Password": "your-api-key"
    }
  }
}

Email Configuration Settings

Setting Required Description
Provider Yes The email provider to use: "Smtp" or "LogToConsole"
FromEmail Yes The email address that appears as the sender
FromDisplayName Yes The display name for the sender (e.g., “Your App Name”)
SiteUrlRootForLinks Yes The base URL for links in emails (e.g., password reset links)
Smtp No SMTP configuration (required when using SMTP provider)

Common Email Scenarios

LightNap sends emails for:

  • Email Verification - When users register with RequireEmailVerification enabled
  • Password Reset - When users request a password reset
  • Two-Factor Authentication - When users log in with 2FA enabled
  • Custom Notifications - You can extend the email service for your own scenarios

For a comprehensive guide on adding custom email scenarios, see Adding Backend Email Scenarios

Choosing a Provider

Scenario Recommended Provider
Production deployment SMTP
Local development Log To Console
Testing/QA Log To Console
Demo environments Log To Console

Switching Providers

To switch between providers:

  1. Update the Provider setting in appsettings.json
  2. Configure provider-specific settings (like SMTP credentials)
  3. Restart the application

No code changes are required; the dependency injection container automatically resolves the correct provider.

Best Practices

  • Use environment variables for sensitive SMTP credentials in production
  • Test with Log To Console provider first to verify email content
  • Configure SPF/DKIM records when using SMTP to improve deliverability
  • Monitor email delivery in production to catch issues early
  • Consider transactional email services like SendGrid or Mailgun for better deliverability and analytics

See Also

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