SMTPc

SMTPc is simple SMTP client for easy mail sending. It's purpose is to help developers test and/or verify SMTP servers or configuration. It's also useful if you are sending email of constant content from daemons or other crons.

If you like this tool, just say thanks.

Current stable version

0.6.0

Features

• Easily build email message as text/plain, text/html or full MIME message (multipart/alternative)
• Messages can be a templates with values replaced when sending
• Handles SMTP authentication, SSL and TLS
• Profiles allows you to use predefined SMTP servers
• Predefine messages set and use them for sending
• Allow for using different from/to email addresses for SMTP session and email headers
• Allow specifying own email headers
• Allow using particular IP address in case when your host has more then one
• It's all Python!

Installation

SMTPc should work on any POSIX platform where Python is available, it means Linux, MacOS/OSX etc.

Simplest way is to use Python's built-in package system:

python3 -m pip install smtpc

If you want to install Jinja2 modules together for using extended templating features, install it like:

python3 -m pip install smtpc[extended]

You can also use pipx if you don't want to mess with system packages and install SMTPc in virtual environment:

pipx install smtpc

Voila!

Python version

SMTPc is tested against Python 3.7+. Older Python versions may work, or may not.

How to use

First, add some account you want to use for sending. In this example we are using Sendria run on local environment:

smtpc profiles add sendria --host 127.0.0.1 --port 1025

You can verify:

smtpc profiles list

Now, add few messages for future use:

smtpc messages add plain --subject 'Some plain email' --body-plain 'Some plain message body' --from plain@smtpc.net --to receiver@smtpc.net
smtpc messages add html --subject 'Some html email' --body-html 'Some <b>HTML</b> message body' --from html@smtpc.net --to receiver@smtpc.net
smtpc messages add alternative --subject 'Some alternative email' --body-plain 'Some plain message body' --body-html 'Some <b>HTML</b> message body' --from alternative@smtpc.net --to receiver@smtpc.net

You can verify:

smtpc messages list

Now, send something:

smtpc send --profile sendria --message alternative
smtpc send --profile sendria --message plain --subject 'Changed subject for plain'

In second example above, we are using predefined message plain, but with changed subject.

Of course, if you don't want, you don't need to use predefined profiles and/or messages, you can pass them directly when sending:

smtpc send --host 127.0.0.1 --port 1025 --body-type html --subject 'Some html email' --body-html 'Some <b>HTML</b> message body' --from not-funny@smtpc.net --to receiver@smtpc.net

But it's not so funny :)

Also you can use your predefined messages as templates:

smtpc messages add template-test --subject 'Some templated email: {{ date }}' --body-plain 'Some templated email body: {{ uuid }}' --from templated@smtpc.net --to receiver@smtpc.net
smtpc send --profile sendria --message template-test --template-field "date=$(date)" --template-field "uuid=$(uuidgen)"

And received email subject may looks like:

Some templated email: Thu Mar 18 19:05:53 CET 2021

And the body:

Some templated email body: C21B7FF0-C6BC-47C9-B3AC-5554865487E4

If there is also available Jinja2 module, you can also use it as templating engine!

Templating

Both, Subject and email body can also be used as a templates. By default, if no --template-field or --template-field-json is specified, then no templating engine is used.

If you will specify any template field, then SMTPc is looking for template engine. By default, SMTPc try to use Jinja2 templating system. If this module is not found, then simpler, builtin version is used. This simplified engine can just find simple placeholder in format:

{{ fieldName }}

and replace then with specified data.

Using this simplified engine, fieldName can contain only small and big ASCII letters, digits and underscore sign. Placeholders are substituted by values, and this is all this engine can do :)

However, if there is Jinja2 found, the possibilities of templating are almost endless. For loop, blocks, conditions... Please read more at Jinja2 home.

Authors

• Marcin Sztolcman (marcin@urzenia.net)

Contact

If you like or dislike this software, please do not hesitate to tell me about this me via email (marcin@urzenia.net).

If you find bug or have an idea to enhance this tool, please use GitHub's issues.

ChangeLog

v0.6.0

• added --template-field and --template-field-json params for send command, allows to replace some {{ fields }} in email body or subject with specified values. Or you can also use Jinja2 if module is installed

v0.5.0

• safe writing config files: will show file content if writing will fail
• messages list is simplified by default (just message name like in profiles list)
• new commands: smtpc profiles delete, smtpc messages delete - self explanatory I guess :)
• few minor bugs squashed
• few internal changes and improvements

v0.4.1

• fixed handling --ssl and --tls when sending message using profile
• added simple --dry-run option
• added --reply-to option
• minor fixes to error handling
• added User-Agent header to generated messages

v0.4.0

• BC: renamed command: profile -> profiles
• added new command: messages for managing of saved email messages
• allow overwriting profile or message predefined options from CLI arguments
• cleaner and more elegant code

v0.3.0

• using commands now instead of dozens of CLI arguments

v0.2.0

• added profiles

v0.1.1

• fixed --version

v0.1.0

• very initial version