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Overview

DevAurva uses Nodemailer to send email notifications for contact form submissions, custom plan requests, and card plan selections. The application is configured to work with Gmail’s SMTP service.

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Email Dependencies

The application uses nodemailer (v6.10.0) for email functionality.

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Nodemailer Configuration

The email transporter is configured in server.js:27-34: 
import nodemailer from 'nodemailer';

// Create email transporter
const transporter = nodemailer.createTransport({
    service: 'gmail',
    auth: {
        user: process.env.EMAIL_USER,
        pass: process.env.EMAIL_PASS
    }
});

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Gmail Setup for Nodemailer

1
Enable 2-Factor Authentication
2
  • Go to your Google Account
  • Navigate to Security
  • Enable 2-Step Verification
  • Follow the setup process to secure your account
    • 3
    App passwords are only available when 2-Step Verification is enabled. You cannot use your regular Gmail password with Nodemailer.
    4
    Generate App Password
    5
  • Go to your Google Account
  • Navigate to Security → 2-Step Verification
  • Scroll down to App passwords
  • Click App passwords
  • Select Mail as the app
  • Select Other (Custom name) as the device
  • Enter “DevAurva” or any descriptive name
  • Click Generate
  • Copy the 16-character password (remove spaces)
    • 6
    Configure environment variables
    7
    Add your Gmail credentials to the .env file:
    8
    EMAIL_USER=[email protected]
EMAIL_PASS=your-16-char-app-password
EMAIL_RECIPIENT=[email protected]
    9
  • EMAIL_USER: Your Gmail address
  • EMAIL_PASS: The 16-character app password (not your regular password)
  • EMAIL_RECIPIENT: Email address to receive notifications (optional, defaults to EMAIL_USER)

    • ​
    Email Notification Types

    DevAurva sends three types of email notifications:

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    Contact Form Emails

    Sent when users submit the contact form (server.js:37-74): 
    const mailOptions = {
    from: process.env.EMAIL_USER,
    to: process.env.EMAIL_RECIPIENT || process.env.EMAIL_USER,
    subject: `New Contact Form Message from ${firstName}`,
    text: `
Name: ${firstName}
Email: ${email}
Message: ${message}
    `,
    html: `
<h2>New Contact Form Submission</h2>
<p><strong>Name:</strong> ${firstName}</p>
<p><strong>Email:</strong> ${email}</p>
<p><strong>Message:</strong></p>
<p>${message}</p>
    `
};
    Includes:
    • Sender’s name and email
    • Message content
    • Both plain text and HTML formats

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    Custom Plan Request Emails

    Sent when users submit custom plan requests with selected features (server.js:98-124): Includes:
    • Client contact information
    • Company name and website type
    • Selected features with pricing
    • Total price calculation
    • Additional notes

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    Card Plan Request Emails

    Sent when users select predefined pricing plans (server.js:155-169): Includes:
    • Client contact information
    • Selected plan type (Starter/Professional/Enterprise)
    • Website type
    • Plan price and budget information

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    Email Recipient Configuration

    The recipient email uses a fallback pattern (server.js:44,100): 
    to: process.env.EMAIL_RECIPIENT || process.env.EMAIL_USER
    • If EMAIL_RECIPIENT is set, notifications go to that address
    • If not set, notifications are sent to EMAIL_USER (yourself)

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    Testing Email Setup

    1
    Verify environment variables
    2
    Ensure your .env file contains:
    3
    EMAIL_USER=[email protected]
EMAIL_PASS=xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
EMAIL_RECIPIENT=[email protected]
    4
    Start the server
    5
    node server.js
    6
    Send a test email
    7
    Submit a contact form through your application:
    8
  • Navigate to the contact page
  • Fill in the form fields
  • Submit the form
  • Check server console for “Email sent successfully”
  • Check the recipient inbox for the email
    • 9
    Verify email delivery
    10
    Successful email delivery shows in the console:
    11
    Email sent successfully
    12
    The API responds with:
    13
    {
  "code": 200,
  "message": "Message sent successfully"
}

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    Troubleshooting

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    Authentication Failed

    If you see authentication errors:
    • Verify 2-Step Verification is enabled on your Google account
    • Ensure you’re using an app password, not your regular Gmail password
    • Check that EMAIL_USER matches the Gmail account that generated the app password
    • Remove any spaces from the app password

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    Emails Not Sending

    If emails aren’t being sent:
    • Check the server console for error messages
    • Verify your Gmail account isn’t blocked or suspended
    • Ensure you haven’t exceeded Gmail’s sending limits (500 emails/day for free accounts)
    • Check spam/junk folders in the recipient’s inbox

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    Invalid Credentials Error

    Error: Invalid login: 535-5.7.8 Username and Password not accepted
    Solutions:
    • Regenerate your app password
    • Ensure 2FA is enabled
    • Verify the email address is correct

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    Connection Timeout

    If emails timeout:
    • Check your network connectivity
    • Verify firewall isn’t blocking SMTP connections
    • Ensure port 587 or 465 is accessible
    Security Best Practices:
    • Never commit your app password to version control
    • Use app-specific passwords, never your main Gmail password
    • Rotate app passwords periodically
    • Revoke unused app passwords from your Google Account settings
    • For production, consider using dedicated email services like SendGrid or AWS SES
    • Monitor email sending activity for unusual patterns

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    Gmail Sending Limits

    Be aware of Gmail’s sending limits:
    • Free Gmail accounts: 500 emails per day
    • Google Workspace: 2,000 emails per day
    For high-volume applications, consider using:
    • SendGrid
    • AWS SES
    • Mailgun
    • Postmark

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    Production Considerations

    For production deployments:
    1. Use a dedicated email service - Gmail is suitable for development but not ideal for production
    2. Implement rate limiting - Prevent email spam and abuse
    3. Add email queuing - Handle bulk emails asynchronously
    4. Monitor deliverability - Track bounce rates and spam reports
    5. Set up SPF/DKIM - Improve email deliverability and prevent spoofing

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    Next Steps

    • Test all email notification types (contact, custom plans, card plans)
    • Configure email templates for better formatting
    • Set up email monitoring and logging
    • Consider migrating to a production email service
    • Implement email retry logic for failed sends

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