How to Connect SparkPost

SparkPost is a very nice email server trusted by a lot of big brands who use it to reliably deliver emails to customers. It’s a trusted solution for businesses, providing high delivery rates and enhanced security features.

SparkPost’s pricing is based on the number of emails you send per month. If you’d like to try the service out before you commit to a plan, you can sign up for a free Test account. It allows you to send up to 500 emails per month.

SparkPost configuration requires that you have domain based email like; [e-mail]

You can configure and get SparkPost running for your site in just 3 easy steps:

1. Configure SparkPost Account

2. Create Sender Domain

3. Create, copy and integrate SparkPost's API

Configure SparkPost Account

To start configuring SparkPost, visit SparkPost’s website, Go to Pricing page and click the Get Started button.

Then, drag the email estimation counter to where it says Test or select any plan that you want and continue by clicking on the Get Started button.

If you use the paid plan, then complete the checkout process and select which region you want your email server to be based in. SparkPost has servers in the US and the EU. If you’re located in Europe, we recommend choosing the SparkPost EU option.

If you are located outside of the EU, we recommend selecting SparkPost to use a server based in the US.

Then you’ll be asked to provide some basic information about yourself and your business. Provide all the required details and click Create Account.

Create Sender Domain

Click the Add Sending Domain button inside your Sparkpost dashboard.

Next, click on Add Sending Domain again.

Here you’ll need to select the type of domain you want to add. We recommend using the default Sending Domain option.

You can verify a subdomain in SparkPost and use an email address at that subdomain as the From Email in your YaySMTP settings. This is usually the best setup for ensuring email delivery, as your subdomain’s reputation as an email sender is separate from your root domain’s.

The steps for setting up a subdomain as your SparkPost sending domain are slightly different than those for setting up your root domain as your sending domain, so we will cover both options below.

Using a Subdomain as Your Sending Domain

Once you’ve added a new sending domain to your Sparkpost account, enter your email subdomain in the field provided. This is the web address you’ll be sending emails from, and you’ll need an email address at this subdomain to complete the rest of the steps in this tutorial.

Click on Save and Continue to add this subdomain to your SparkPost account.

Domain Alignment

Next, a popup window will appear asking you to select your domain alignment preferences.

For subdomains, we recommend using the Strict alignment option. This will set your sending domain and bounce domain to the same value, which is the simplest solution in most cases. To choose this option, select Yes under Verify this domain for bounce for strict alignment. Then click on Save and Continue to proceed.

Verifying Your Sending Domain

Next, you’ll need to verify your sending domain. This process involves adding DNS records to your DNS settings to tell email providers that your subdomain is a reputable sender. For guidance on this process, please get in touch with your hosting support.

As soon as you finish adding your sending domain, SparkPost will show you the 2 DNS records you need to add.

Note: You’ll need to add the DNS records provided by SparkPost to your root domain’s DNS settings to verify your subdomain.

Once you’ve done so, select the checkbox next to The TXT and CNAME records have been added to the DNS provider. Then click Verify Domain.

Next, SparkPost will carry out its compliance checks for your sending domain. This process can take up to 24 hours to complete and requires your DNS records to be updated. When your subdomain passes the checks, it will have 3 status markers in your SparkPost account’s Domains list: Sending, Bounce, and DKIM Signing.

Note: It may take up to 48 hours for changes to your DNS settings to be recognized. If you try to verify your domain in SparkPost and it doesn’t work, wait and try again. In the meantime, you can continue setting up YaySMTP.

Using Your Root Domain as Your Sending Domain (Not Recommended)

After you’ve added a new sending domain to your SparkPost account, enter your website’s root domain in the field provided. This should be the web address you’re sending emails from, and you’ll need an email address at this domain to complete the rest of the steps in this tutorial.

Click on Save and Continue to add your domain to your SparkPost account.

Domain Alignment

When you save your sending domain in SparkPost, you’ll see a popup window asking you to choose your domain alignment preferences. When using your root domain as your sending domain, you must use the Relaxed alignment option.

Select No under Verify this domain for bounce for strict alignment. Then click the Save and Continue button.

Verifying Your Sending Domain

Next, you’ll need to verify your sending domain. This process involves adding DNS records to your DNS settings to tell email providers that your subdomain is a reputable sender. For guidance on this process, please get in touch with your hosting support.

As soon as you finish adding your sending domain, SparkPost will show you the 2 DNS records you need to add to your domain.

After you’ve added the new record to your DNS settings, select the checkbox next to The TXT record has been added to the DNS provider and click Verify Domain.

Next, SparkPost will carry out its compliance checks for your sending domain. This process can take up to 24 hours to complete and requires your DNS records to be updated. When your domain passes the checks, it will have the status markers Sending and DKIM Signing in your SparkPost account’s Domains list.

Note: It can take up to 48 hours for changes to your DNS settings to be recognized. If you’ve completed the steps above and your domain still isn’t listed as verified, wait and check back later. In the meantime, you can continue with the other steps in this tutorial.

Adding a Bounce Domain

Since using your root domain as your sending domain requires you to use the relaxed domain alignment option in SparkPost, you’ll also need to configure a separate bounce domain. This will be the domain that bounce notifications are sent to.

In the Domains section of your SparkPost account, click on the Add a Domain button.

From the options listed on the next screen, select Bounce Domain.

In the field provided, enter the domain you’d like to use for bounce notifications. Then click on Save and Continue.

Note: When using the root domain setup, your bounce domain must be different than your sending domain. We recommend using a subdomain, but you can enter any domain you own in the field provided.

Next, you’ll see another DNS record that you’ll need to add to your root domain’s DNS settings (or the DNS settings of the domain you entered on the previous screen if you’re not using a subdomain).

Once you’ve added the record, select the checkbox next to The CNAME record has been added to the DNS provider and click on Verify Bounce.

SparkPost will then carry out its compliance checks for your bounce domain. This process can take up to 24 hours to complete and requires your DNS records to be updated. When your domain passes the checks, it will have the status markers Sending and Bounce in your SparkPost account’s Domains list.

Note: It can take up to 48 hours for changes to your DNS settings to be recognized. If you’ve completed the steps above and your domain still isn’t listed as verified, wait and check back later. In the meantime, you can continue with the other steps in this tutorial.

Finally, you need to set the bounce domain you’ve added as the default bounce domain for your SparkPost account. In the Domains list, click on your bounce domain to open its details page. Here, select the checkbox next to Set as Default Bounce Domain.

Create, copy and integrate SparkPost's API

This is the final part of the integration! To generate your API keys, click on API Keys in the menu at the top of your SparkPost account dashboard.

Then enter a name for your API key. It’s for your reference only.

We recommend leaving the API Permissions option set to All. When you’re ready, click on the Create API Key button at the bottom of the screen.

This will bring you to a new screen with your SparkPost API key. Leave this page open in a separate browser tab or window, as you’ll need to return to it later when configuring your YaySMTP settings.

Copy the API token value and paste it in the appropriate field inside the YaySMTP settings area.

Click Save Changes and Send Test Email.