Migrate from Amazon SES to emailr_

The code change

A typical Amazon SES send call next to its emailr_ equivalent.

import { SESv2Client, SendEmailCommand } from '@aws-sdk/client-sesv2'

const ses = new SESv2Client({ region: 'us-east-1' })

await ses.send(new SendEmailCommand({
  FromEmailAddress: 'hello@mail.acme.com',
  Destination: { ToAddresses: ['user@example.com'] },
  Content: {
    Simple: {
      Subject: { Data: 'Your receipt' },
      Body: { Html: { Data: '<p>Thanks for your order.</p>' } },
    },
  },
  EmailTags: [{ Name: 'category', Value: 'receipts' }],
}))

import { Emailr } from 'emailr'

const emailr = new Emailr({ apiKey: process.env.EMAILR_API_KEY! })

await emailr.emails.send({
  from: 'hello@mail.acme.com',
  to: 'user@example.com',
  subject: 'Your receipt',
  html: '<p>Thanks for your order.</p>',
  tags: { category: 'receipts' },
})

Amazon SES concepts in emailr_

Use this table to find where each feature you rely on lives in emailr_.

How to migrate from Amazon SES

1. 01

   Create an API key

   Create a key under API keys in the dashboard. Keys start with et_live_ and are scoped to one domain workspace. Store it as EMAILR_API_KEY in your secret manager or environment, never in client-side code.

2. 02

   Add and verify your sending domain

   In the dashboard, open Domains and add the domain you send from. A subdomain such as mail.yourcompany.com keeps transactional reputation separate from your corporate mailbox.

   Emailr generates the DNS records: a DKIM TXT record on the emailr._domainkey selector, an SPF TXT record, and an MX + TXT pair on the send subdomain used as the MAIL FROM / Return-Path. A DMARC record is optional but recommended.

   SES Easy DKIM publishes three CNAMEs under _domainkey. Emailr's DKIM key lives on its own emailr._domainkey selector, so the two don't clash.

   Emailr's DKIM selector and send subdomain don't collide with other providers' records, so you can add them before cutting over and send from both providers during the migration. A domain can only have one SPF record: if one already exists, merge Emailr's include: into it instead of adding a second record.

3. 03

   Replace SendEmailCommand

   Install the SDK and replace SendEmailCommand with emailr.emails.send(). The nested Destination / Content.Simple structure flattens into to, cc, bcc, subject, html and text. ReplyToAddresses becomes reply_to_email.

   Raw MIME (Content.Raw) isn't needed for attachments: pass attachments: [{ filename, content, contentType }] with base64 content.

   Terminalbash

   npm install emailr

4. 04

   Replace SNS event plumbing

   Instead of a configuration set publishing to an SNS topic that triggers a Lambda that writes to your database, create one webhook pointing at your API. Delete the SNS subscriptions after cutover.

5. 05

   Move templates and suppressions

   Recreate SES templates in emailr_ and send them with template_id and template_data. Emailr templates substitute flat {{variable}} tokens from template_data. There are no loops or conditionals, so pre-render lists and optional blocks in your code and pass the result as a variable.

   Export your account-level suppression list (ListSuppressedDestinations or the SES console) and import those addresses as contacts with subscribed: false.

6. 06

   Recreate your event webhooks

   Map SES event types to emailr_ events using the table above.

   Create a webhook of type transactional (delivery and engagement events), domain (verification status) or receiving (inbound email). Each webhook has its own signing secret. Every request carries an X-Emailr-Signature header: a hex-encoded HMAC-SHA256 of the raw request body. Verify it before trusting the payload.

   verify-webhook.tsts

   import { createHmac, timingSafeEqual } from 'node:crypto'
   
   // rawBody must be the exact request body string, before JSON.parse
   export function isValidEmailrWebhook(rawBody: string, signature: string | null) {
     if (!signature) return false
     const expected = createHmac('sha256', process.env.EMAILR_WEBHOOK_SECRET!)
       .update(rawBody)
       .digest('hex')
     const a = Buffer.from(expected)
     const b = Buffer.from(signature)
     return a.length === b.length && timingSafeEqual(a, b)
   }
   
   // const ok = isValidEmailrWebhook(body, req.headers.get('x-emailr-signature'))
   // const { event, data } = JSON.parse(body)  // e.g. event === 'email.bounced'

7. 07

   Replace receipt rules

   If you receive mail through SES receipt rules into S3 or Lambda, create an emailr_ inbox instead. Messages are parsed, threaded and available in the dashboard, and a receiving webhook delivers email.received events to your code.

Webhook event mapping

emailr_ webhooks post one JSON event per request with an event name and a data object. Translate event names in your handler with this table.

Things to watch for

• Sending limits come from your emailr_ plan instead of SES sending quotas, so check them before moving high-volume traffic.
• You won't see SES message IDs in your code anymore; store emailr's message_id from the send response instead.
• If your IAM policies or VPC endpoints existed only for SES, remove them after cutover.

Frequently asked questions

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