SMTP vs API-Based Email Services

Developers should learn SMTP when building applications that involve email functionality, such as sending notifications, newsletters, or transactional emails from web or mobile apps meets developers should use api-based email services when building applications that require reliable email communication, such as sending user notifications, password resets, or marketing emails, as they offer scalable, secure, and high-deliverability solutions without the overhead of maintaining in-house email servers. Here's our take.

SMTP

Nice Pick

Developers should learn SMTP when building applications that involve email functionality, such as sending notifications, newsletters, or transactional emails from web or mobile apps

Pros

• It's essential for implementing custom email services, integrating with email marketing tools, or troubleshooting email delivery issues in production systems
• Related to: email-servers, email-clients

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

API-Based Email Services

Developers should use API-based email services when building applications that require reliable email communication, such as sending user notifications, password resets, or marketing emails, as they offer scalable, secure, and high-deliverability solutions without the overhead of maintaining in-house email servers

Pros

• They are essential for modern web and mobile apps to ensure emails reach inboxes, comply with regulations like GDPR, and provide analytics for tracking engagement and performance
• Related to: rest-api, smtp

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. SMTP is a protocol while API-Based Email Services is a platform. We picked SMTP based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

SMTP wins

Based on overall popularity. SMTP is more widely used, but API-Based Email Services excels in its own space.