How to configure SMTP for sending mail in php
Answer: Using the PHPMailer library to configure the SMTP server can enable sending mails through SMTP in PHP applications. PHPMailer needs to be installed, set up SMTP host, port, encryption method and authentication credentials of Gmail, write code to set sender, recipient, topic and content, enable 2FA and use application password to ensure that the server allows SMTP connection, and finally call the send method to send email.

To send emails from a PHP application using SMTP, you need to configure an SMTP server and use a library that supports SMTP authentication. PHP's built-in mail() function doesn't support SMTP authentication directly, so it's better to use a dedicated library like PHPMailer or PHPMailer with SMTP . Below is a step-by-step guide to configure SMTP for sending mail in PHP using PHPMailer.
Install PHPMailer via Composer
PHPMailer is a popular library that simplifies sending emails with SMTP. Install it using Composer:
composer requires phpmailer/phpmailer
If you don't have Composer, download PHPMailer from its official GitHub repository and include it manually.
Configure SMTP Settings in PHP
Below is an example of how to send an email using Gmail's SMTP server. You can adapt this for other providers like Outlook, SendGrid, or your custom SMTP server.
<?php use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\SMTP;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception;
require 'vendor/autoload.php'; // Path to Composer's autoload
$mail = new PHPMailer(true);
try {
// SMTP Configuration
$mail->isSMTP();
$mail->Host = 'smtp.gmail.com'; // Gmail SMTP server
$mail->SMTPAuth = true;
$mail->Username = 'your_email@gmail.com'; // Your Gmail address
$mail->Password = 'your_app_password'; // Use App Password, not regular password
$mail->SMTPSecure = PHPMailer::ENCRYPTION_STARTTLS;
$mail->Port = 587;
// Email content
$mail->setFrom('your_email@gmail.com', 'Your Name');
$mail->addAddress('recipient@example.com', 'Recipient Name');
$mail->Subject = 'Test Email via SMTP';
$mail->Body = 'This is a test email sent using PHPMailer and SMTP.';
$mail->send();
echo 'Email sent successfully!';
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo "Email could not be sent. Mailer Error: {$mail->ErrorInfo}";
}
?>
Important Notes and Tips
- For Gmail, enable 2-Factor Authentication and generate an App Password instead of using your regular password.
- Use STARTTLS on port 587 or SSL/TLS on port 465. For SSL, set SMTPSecure = 'ssl' and Port = 465 .
- Make sure your hosting server allows outbound SMTP connections (some shared hosts block ports).
- Test with a real email service (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) before moving to production.
- Set appropriate From and Reply-To headers to avoid spam filters.
Using PHPMailer with SMTP ensures reliable email delivery with authentication and encryption. It's widely used and well-documented for various email services.
Basically, configure the SMTP host, credentials, encryption, and use PHPMailer to format and send the message. That's all it takes to send emails securely via SMTP in PHP.
The above is the detailed content of How to configure SMTP for sending mail in php. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!
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How to configure SMTP for sending mail in php
Aug 27, 2025 am 08:08 AM
Answer: Using the PHPMailer library to configure the SMTP server can enable sending mails through SMTP in PHP applications. PHPMailer needs to be installed, set up SMTP host, port, encryption method and authentication credentials of Gmail, write code to set sender, recipient, topic and content, enable 2FA and use application password to ensure that the server allows SMTP connection, and finally call the send method to send email.


