Configuring and sending email notifications in Laravel

To set up email notifications in Laravel, first configure mail settings in the .env file with SMTP or service-specific details like MAIL\_MAILER, MAIL\_HOST, MAIL\_PORT, MAIL\_USERNAME, MAIL\_PASSWORD, and MAIL\_FROM\_ADDRESS. Next, test the configuration using Mail::raw() to send a sample email. Then create a notification class via php artisan make:notification and define the via() method to specify 'mail' as the channel and toMail() to structure the email content. Implement ShouldQueue for better performance. Afterward, send notifications either by calling notify() on a user model or using the Notification facade for multiple users. Lastly, customize the email appearance by publishing Laravel’s notification assets and editing the Blade templates under resources/views/vendor/notifications to align with your branding.

Setting up email notifications in Laravel is straightforward, especially with the built-in notification system. You don’t need to write everything from scratch — Laravel gives you a clean way to send both database and email notifications. Here’s how to configure and send email notifications effectively.

Setting Up Mail Configuration

Before sending any emails, make sure your mail settings are correct. Laravel uses the .env file for configuration, so open that and fill in your SMTP or service-specific details.

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.example.com
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=your@example.com
MAIL_PASSWORD=yourpassword
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=from@example.com
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

Once configured, test it by using Mail::raw() in a route or controller to send a quick test message:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Mail;

Mail::raw('Test email body', function ($message) {
    $message->to('test@example.com')->subject('Test Email');
});

If that works, you’re good to move on to notifications.

Creating a Notification Class

Laravel notifications can be sent via multiple channels — email being one of the most common. To generate a new notification class, run:

php artisan make:notification AccountUpdated

This creates a file in app/Notifications. Open it and define what should happen when this notification is triggered. Here’s a basic example:

use Illuminate\Bus\Queueable;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
use Illuminate\Notifications\Notification;

class AccountUpdated extends Notification implements ShouldQueue
{
    use Queueable;

    public function __construct()
    {
        //
    }

    public function via($notifiable)
    {
        return ['mail'];
    }

    public function toMail($notifiable)
    {
        return (new \Illuminate\Notifications\Messages\MailMessage)
            ->line('Your account has been successfully updated.')
            ->action('View Account', url('/account'))
            ->line('Thank you for using our application!');
    }
}

A few things to note:

• The via() method defines which channels to use (mail, database, etc.)
• toMail() builds the actual email content.
• Implementing ShouldQueue helps avoid slowing down request processing.

Sending the Notification

To send a notification, you can either use the notify() helper on a user model or use the Notification facade.

Option 1: Notify a specific user

use App\Notifications\AccountUpdated;

$user->notify(new AccountUpdated());

Option 2: Send to multiple users or notifiable models

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Notification;
use App\Notifications\AccountUpdated;

Notification::send($users, new AccountUpdated());

Make sure $users is a collection of models that implement the Notifiable trait.

You can trigger these notifications after certain actions — like updating a profile, completing a payment, or logging in from a new device.

Customizing Email Appearance

By default, Laravel uses a simple layout for email notifications. If you want to customize the look, publish the notification assets:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=laravel-notifications

This copies the Blade templates into resources/views/vendor/notifications. You can now edit the HTML and CSS to match your brand style.

Some customization tips:

• Modify the header/logo section
• Update default colors and fonts
• Add custom footer links or branding

Also, if you're sending transactional emails at scale, consider using services like Mailgun, SendGrid, or Amazon SES. Just update the MAIL_MAILER value in .env accordingly.

That's basically it. Once your mailer is set up and your notification logic is in place, sending emails becomes just another part of your app flow. It’s not complicated, but there are a few moving parts — especially around templates and delivery drivers — so double-check each step if something doesn’t arrive as expected.

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