Skip to content
Alva Digital Downloads

Email Provider Setup

Learn how to configure email providers (Postmark and MailerToGo) for reliable email delivery.

Email Provider Overview

Section titled “Email Provider Overview”

Alva Digital Downloads supports two email providers:

Postmark (Primary - Recommended)

Section titled “Postmark (Primary - Recommended)”

Type: API-based email service

Benefits:

  • ✅ Superior deliverability rates
  • ✅ Real-time delivery tracking
  • ✅ Detailed analytics
  • ✅ Fast delivery (seconds)
  • ✅ Excellent reputation

Best for: Most merchants

MailerToGo (Fallback)

Section titled “MailerToGo (Fallback)”

Type: SMTP email service

Benefits:

  • ✅ Reliable SMTP standard
  • ✅ Automatic fallback option
  • ✅ Easy configuration
  • ✅ Good deliverability

Best for: Backup to Postmark

Choosing an Email Provider

Section titled “Choosing an Email Provider”

Decision Guide

Section titled “Decision Guide”

Use Postmark if:

  • Want best deliverability
  • Need detailed analytics
  • Sending many emails
  • Want premium features

Use MailerToGo if:

  • Already have SMTP service
  • Prefer SMTP over API
  • Need simple setup

Use Both:

  • Postmark as primary
  • MailerToGo as automatic fallback
  • Best reliability

Setting Up Postmark

Section titled “Setting Up Postmark”

Step 1: Create Postmark Account

Section titled “Step 1: Create Postmark Account”
  1. Visit postmarkapp.com
  2. Click Sign Up
  3. Create account
  4. Verify email address

Step 2: Verify Sender Signature

Section titled “Step 2: Verify Sender Signature”

Before sending emails, verify your sender email:

  1. In Postmark dashboard, go to Sender Signatures
  2. Click Add Sender Signature
  1. Choose verification method:

Option A: Single Email Address

  • Enter: support@yourstore.com
  • Postmark sends verification email
  • Click link in email
  • Email verified ✅

Option B: Entire Domain

  • Enter: yourstore.com
  • Add DNS records (DKIM, Return-Path)
  • Postmark verifies DNS
  • Entire domain verified ✅

Recommendation: Verify entire domain for flexibility.

Step 3: Generate Server API Token

Section titled “Step 3: Generate Server API Token”
  1. In Postmark, go to Servers → Select your server
  2. Click API Tokens tab
  3. Copy the Server API Token

Important: Keep this token secure - it’s like a password.

Step 4: Configure in Alva App

Section titled “Step 4: Configure in Alva App”
  1. Open Alva Digital Downloads app
  2. Go to Settings → Email Provider
  3. Select Postmark as provider
  1. Paste Server API Token
  2. Enter verified sender email (e.g., support@yourstore.com)
  3. Click Save and Test Connection
  1. Test email sent to verify setup

✅ Configuration complete!

Postmark Configuration Fields

Section titled “Postmark Configuration Fields”

Server API Token (Required)

Token from Postmark dashboard
Example: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx

From Email (Required)

Verified sender email address
Example: support@yourstore.com
Must be verified in Postmark

From Name (Optional)

Sender name displayed to customers
Example: My Shop Support
Default: {shop.name}

Postmark Pricing

Section titled “Postmark Pricing”

Free Tier:

  • 100 emails/month
  • Full features
  • Perfect for testing

Paid Plans:

  • $10/month: 10,000 emails
  • $50/month: 50,000 emails
  • $1.25 per 1,000 additional emails

Most merchants: Start with free tier, upgrade as needed.

Setting Up MailerToGo (SMTP)

Section titled “Setting Up MailerToGo (SMTP)”

Step 1: Get SMTP Credentials

Section titled “Step 1: Get SMTP Credentials”

Option A: From Your Hosting Provider

  • Contact hosting support
  • Request SMTP credentials
  • Get: Host, Port, Username, Password

Option B: From MailerToGo

  1. Sign up at mailertogo.com
  2. Verify account
  3. Get SMTP credentials from dashboard

Option C: From Other SMTP Service

  • Gmail SMTP
  • SendGrid SMTP
  • Amazon SES
  • Any SMTP provider

Step 2: Gather Required Information

Section titled “Step 2: Gather Required Information”

You’ll need:

SMTP Host

Example: smtp.mailertogo.net
or: smtp.gmail.com
or: smtp.sendgrid.net

SMTP Port

Usually: 587 (TLS)
or: 465 (SSL)
or: 25 (unencrypted, not recommended)

SMTP Username

Your SMTP account username
Example: user@mailertogo.net

SMTP Password

Your SMTP account password
Keep secure!

Step 3: Configure in Alva App

Section titled “Step 3: Configure in Alva App”
  1. Open Alva Digital Downloads app
  2. Go to Settings → Email Provider
  3. Select SMTP (MailerToGo) as provider
  1. Enter SMTP credentials:
SMTP Host: smtp.mailertogo.net
SMTP Port: 587
SMTP User: your-username
SMTP Pass: ••••••••••
Encryption: TLS
From Email: support@yourstore.com
  1. Click Save and Test Connection
  2. Test email sent to verify

✅ Configuration complete!

SMTP Configuration Fields

Section titled “SMTP Configuration Fields”

SMTP Host (Required)

SMTP server address
Example: smtp.mailertogo.net

SMTP Port (Required)

Port number (usually 587)
Options: 25, 465, 587

SMTP Username (Required)

Your SMTP account username

SMTP Password (Required)

Your SMTP account password

Encryption (Required)

Options: TLS (recommended), SSL, None
Default: TLS

From Email (Required)

Sender email address
Example: noreply@yourstore.com

Dual Provider Setup

Section titled “Dual Provider Setup”

Primary + Fallback Configuration

Section titled “Primary + Fallback Configuration”

Set up both providers for maximum reliability:

Configuration:

  1. Primary: Postmark (fast, reliable)
  2. Fallback: MailerToGo SMTP (backup)

How it works:

  1. App tries sending via Postmark
  2. If Postmark fails → automatically tries MailerToGo
  3. Customer receives email either way

Configuring Dual Setup

Section titled “Configuring Dual Setup”
  1. Set up Postmark (as shown above)
  2. Set up MailerToGo (as shown above)
  3. In Settings, enable Fallback Provider
  4. Select MailerToGo as fallback
  5. Save configuration

Benefits:

  • 99.9%+ email delivery
  • No single point of failure
  • Automatic switching
  • Peace of mind

Testing Email Provider Setup

Section titled “Testing Email Provider Setup”

Send Test Email

Section titled “Send Test Email”

After configuration:

  1. Click Send Test Email button
  2. Enter your email address
  3. Click Send
  4. Check inbox

Verify:

  • Email arrives (check spam folder too)
  • Delivered from correct sender
  • Appears within 1-2 minutes

Check Email Logs

Section titled “Check Email Logs”

Verify test email in logs:

  1. Go to Email Settings → Email Logs
  2. Find test email
  3. Check status:
    • ✅ Sent: Success
    • ❌ Failed: Configuration issue

If failed:

  • Double-check credentials
  • Verify sender email
  • Check provider dashboard for errors
  • Contact provider support

Troubleshooting Provider Setup

Section titled “Troubleshooting Provider Setup”

Postmark Issues

Section titled “Postmark Issues”

Issue: “Invalid API Token”

Section titled “Issue: “Invalid API Token””

Solution:

  1. Verify token copied correctly
  2. No extra spaces in token field
  3. Token is Server API token (not Account token)
  4. Token from correct Postmark server

Issue: “Sender signature not verified”

Section titled “Issue: “Sender signature not verified””

Solution:

  1. Go to Postmark → Sender Signatures
  2. Verify email address or domain
  3. Check verification email
  4. Complete DNS setup if using domain
  5. Wait for verification (can take 1 hour)

Issue: Emails going to spam

Section titled “Issue: Emails going to spam”

Solutions:

  1. Set up DKIM records (domain verification)
  2. Configure SPF records
  3. Verify sender domain (not just email)
  4. Improve email content (avoid spam words)
  5. Build sender reputation gradually

SMTP Issues

Section titled “SMTP Issues”

Issue: “Connection refused”

Section titled “Issue: “Connection refused””

Solutions:

  1. Check SMTP host address
  2. Verify port number (try 587, then 465)
  3. Check firewall not blocking SMTP
  4. Verify internet connection
  5. Contact hosting provider

Issue: “Authentication failed”

Section titled “Issue: “Authentication failed””

Solutions:

  1. Verify username correct
  2. Check password (no typos)
  3. For Gmail: Enable “Less secure apps” or use App Password
  4. Verify account active
  5. Check provider dashboard for blocks

Issue: “TLS/SSL error”

Section titled “Issue: “TLS/SSL error””

Solutions:

  1. Try different encryption:
    • TLS (port 587)
    • SSL (port 465)
    • None (port 25, not recommended)
  2. Update encryption setting in app
  3. Test each option

Provider Comparison

Section titled “Provider Comparison”
FeaturePostmarkMailerToGo SMTP
Delivery SpeedVery Fast (1-10s)Fast (10-30s)
DeliverabilityExcellentGood
Setup DifficultyEasy (API token)Moderate (SMTP)
AnalyticsDetailedBasic
Cost$0-10/mo$0-5/mo
TrackingReal-timeDelayed
Fallback SupportPrimaryFallback
SupportExcellentGood

Best Practices

Section titled “Best Practices”

Security

Section titled “Security”

Protect credentials:

  • Never share API tokens publicly
  • Don’t commit to GitHub
  • Use environment variables
  • Rotate tokens periodically
  • Limit token permissions

Monitoring

Section titled “Monitoring”

Regular checks:

  • Monitor email delivery rates
  • Check provider dashboards
  • Review error logs
  • Test monthly
  • Update credentials as needed

Domain Verification

Section titled “Domain Verification”

Always verify domain:

  • Better deliverability
  • Professional appearance
  • Required for some features
  • Build sender reputation

Steps:

  1. Add DNS records (DKIM, SPF, DMARC)
  2. Verify in provider dashboard
  3. Test email delivery
  4. Monitor reputation

Switching Providers

Section titled “Switching Providers”

Migrating from SMTP to Postmark

Section titled “Migrating from SMTP to Postmark”

Steps:

  1. Set up Postmark account
  2. Verify sender signature
  3. Get API token
  4. Add to Alva settings
  5. Test thoroughly
  6. Switch to Postmark as primary
  7. Keep SMTP as fallback

Changing SMTP Providers

Section titled “Changing SMTP Providers”
  1. Get new SMTP credentials
  2. Update in Alva settings
  3. Test email delivery
  4. Monitor for issues
  5. Keep old credentials as backup temporarily

Email Provider Resources

Section titled “Email Provider Resources”

Postmark Resources

Section titled “Postmark Resources”
  • Documentation: postmarkapp.com/support
  • Status: status.postmarkapp.com
  • Support: support@postmarkapp.com
  • Community: postmarkapp.com/community

MailerToGo Resources

Section titled “MailerToGo Resources”
  • Dashboard: mailertogo.com/dashboard
  • Support: mailertogo.com/support
  • SMTP Guide: mailertogo.com/help/smtp

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”