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What is Email API?

An email API is a set of programmatic endpoints that allow applications to send, receive, or manage emails over HTTP rather than using SMTP directly. Email APIs abstract away the complexity of email protocols and provide features like delivery tracking, analytics, and programmable inboxes.

Types of Email APIs

Email APIs generally fall into two categories:

Sending APIs (Transactional Email)

  • Resend, SendGrid, Postmark, Mailgun
  • Send emails programmatically via HTTP
  • Provide delivery tracking and analytics
  • Handle SMTP complexity behind the scenes

Receiving APIs (Programmable Inboxes)

  • plop.email, Mailosaur, Mailtrap
  • Receive and store emails for programmatic access
  • Fetch email content via REST endpoints
  • Used for testing and automation

Email API vs SMTP

SMTP (Direct)

  • Lower-level protocol
  • Requires server configuration
  • Synchronous, connection-based
  • More control, more complexity

Email API

  • HTTP-based, RESTful
  • No server setup required
  • Async, stateless requests
  • Simpler integration, less control

For most applications, APIs provide the right balance of simplicity and functionality.

Using Email APIs for Testing

Email APIs enable automated email testing workflows:

1. Generate Test Address: Create a unique address for the test

  1. Trigger Action: Your app sends email to that address
  2. API Fetch: Retrieve the email via REST endpoint
  3. Assert: Verify content matches expectations
POST /your-app/signup { email: "test+123@in.plop.email" }
GET  /plop/messages/latest?to=test+123@in.plop.email
→ Returns { subject, htmlContent, textContent, from, to, ... }

This is simpler and more reliable than SMTP-based testing approaches.

Example

plop.email API Exampletypescript
// plop.email receiving API endpoints

// List all messages in a mailbox
const list = await fetch('https://api.plop.email/v1/messages', {
  headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_KEY' },
});

// Get the latest message for a specific address
const latest = await fetch(
  'https://api.plop.email/v1/messages/latest?to=test@in.plop.email',
  { headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_KEY' } }
);

// Get a specific message by ID
const message = await fetch(
  'https://api.plop.email/v1/messages/msg_abc123',
  { headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_KEY' } }
);

// Response includes full email data
// { id, from, to, subject, htmlContent, textContent, receivedAt, ... }

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