Send Coolify notifications with Gmail

You can have Coolify (a platform for easily self-hosting web apps) send you notifications via email. Here’s how to send Coolify notifications via a Gmail account or Google Apps account.

This article is basically a Coolify-specific version of Option 2 from Google’s Send email from a printer, scanner, or app. I’m writing this down because it confused me initially.

Step 1: generate an app password

Since Gmail accounts have 2-factor auth, you’ll need to use an app password, a special new password that Coolify can use to authenticate instead:

1. Log in to Create and manage your app passwords with your desired Gmail account.
2. In the textbox titled App name, enter a name for your app password (for your own records). For example, Coolify on MyServer. Then click Create.
3. Copy the generated password for use below. It will never be displayed again, but you can always delete it and create a new one.

Step 2: set up Coolify email

In Coolify, under Settings > Transactional Email:

1. For From Name, enter whatever you like (this appears as the “friendly” name for your email address, e.g. using Ben Stolovitz would send emails that appear as from Ben Stolovitz <[email protected]>).
2. For From Address, enter your Gmail account’s email address.
3. Under SMTP Server:
   • Host: smtp.gmail.com
   • Port: 587
   • Encryption: StartTLS worked for me
   • SMTP Username: your Gmail account’s email address
   • SMTP Password: the app password you generated above
   • Timeout: (leave blank)
4. Click Save next to SMTP Server. You can send a test email with Send Test Email.
5. Click Save next to Transactional Email.

Step 3: let notifications send emails

Still in Coolify, go to Notifications:

1. Under Email, check Use system wide (transactional) email settings.
2. Click Save. You can test with Send Test Email.

You should now receive notification emails from Coolify, via your Gmail account!