setup-email

name: setup-email description: Guide for setting up custom domain email with IONOS (1&1) domain, o2switch mailbox, and SMTP2GO for transactional sending.

Email Setup Guide

Set up a custom domain email (noreply@yourdomain.com) using:

• IONOS (1&1) - Domain registration & DNS management
• o2switch - Email hosting (inbox)
• SMTP2GO - Transactional email sending (password resets, etc.)

Prerequisites

• Domain registered at IONOS
• o2switch hosting account
• SMTP2GO account (free tier available)

Step 1: Add Domain to o2switch

1. Login to o2switch cPanel
2. Go to Domaines → Domaines supplémentaires
3. Add your domain:
   • Nom du nouveau domaine: yourdomain.com
   • Racine du document: test (or any folder name - not used for email-only setup)
4. Click Ajouter un domaine

Note: Ignore the warning about nameservers - you'll keep DNS at IONOS.

Step 2: Create Email Account on o2switch

1. In cPanel, go to Email → Comptes de messagerie
2. Click + Créer
3. Select your domain from dropdown
4. Enter email address (e.g., noreply)
5. Set password
6. Click Créer

Step 3: Configure MX Records at IONOS

3.1 Add MX Records

1. Login to IONOS → Domaines & SSL → Your domain → DNS
2. Add two MX records:

3. Delete any existing IONOS MX records

3.2 Fix o2switch Internal Zone (Important!)

1. In o2switch cPanel, go to Zone Editor
2. Select your domain
3. Filter by MX
4. Delete any MX pointing to mail.yourdomain.com
5. Add two MX records:
   • Priority 10 → mx1.o2switch.net
   • Priority 20 → mx2.o2switch.net
6. Click Save All Records

Why? o2switch creates its own DNS zone that can override external DNS for email routing.

Step 4: Add SPF & DKIM for o2switch (Optional but Recommended)

For sending emails FROM your o2switch mailbox:

1. In o2switch cPanel → Email Deliverability
2. Click Gérer on your domain
3. Copy the suggested SPF and DKIM values
4. Add them as TXT records at IONOS:

SPF Record:

DKIM Record:

Step 5: Configure SMTP2GO for Transactional Emails

5.1 Create SMTP2GO Account

1. Go to smtp2go.com
2. Sign up (use Gmail for account - your custom email isn't needed here)
3. Add your domain as a Verified Sender

5.2 Add SMTP2GO DNS Records at IONOS

SMTP2GO will show you 3 CNAME records to add. Example:

Add these as CNAME records at IONOS DNS.

5.3 Verify in SMTP2GO

Click Verify in SMTP2GO dashboard after adding DNS records.

Step 6: Configure Your Application

Use SMTP2GO credentials in your app's .env:

SMTP_HOST=mail.smtp2go.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USERNAME=your-smtp2go-username
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-smtp2go-api-key
SMTP_FROM_EMAIL=noreply@yourdomain.com

Verification & Testing

Test Email Reception

# Check MX records propagation
dig MX yourdomain.com +short

# Should show:
# 10 mx1.o2switch.net.
# 20 mx2.o2switch.net.

Send a test email from Gmail to your new address, then check o2switch webmail.

Test Email Sending

Send a test email through your application or SMTP2GO dashboard.

Troubleshooting

Emails not arriving at o2switch

1. Check MX propagation: dig MX yourdomain.com +short
2. Check o2switch Zone Editor - ensure MX records point to o2switch, not mail.yourdomain.com
3. Check Email Routing in cPanel → should be "Local"
4. Wait 5-30 minutes for internal cache refresh after DNS changes

SMTP2GO verification failing

1. DNS propagation can take up to 1 hour
2. Double-check CNAME values (no typos)
3. Ensure you're adding CNAME, not TXT records

SPF/DKIM warnings in o2switch

Normal if DNS is managed externally. Add the records to IONOS as TXT records.

Summary