Gmail SMTP Laravel Setup

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=your_gmail_address@gmail.com
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_gmail_app_password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=your_gmail_address@gmail.com
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

### Steps:

1. **Generate an App Password in Gmail:**
– Ensure 2-step verification is enabled for your Google account.
– Go to [Google App Passwords](https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords).
– Generate an app password for "Mail".
– Use the generated password as `MAIL_PASSWORD` in the `.env` file.

2. **Test the Configuration:**
– You can test the email configuration using Laravel's `tinker` or by creating a simple route:

use IlluminateSupportFacadesMail;

     Route::get('/test-email', function () {
         Mail::raw('This is a test email', function ($message) {
             $message->to('recipient@example.com')->subject('Test Email');
         });
         return 'Email sent successfully!';
     });

3. **Clear Cache:**
If you update the `.env` file, run the following commands to clear and reload the configuration:

php artisan config:cache
   php artisan config:clear

4. **Enable "Less Secure App Access" (if necessary):**
If app passwords are unavailable, you might need to enable "Allow less secure apps" in your Google account settings. However, this method is discouraged due to security risks.

Once configured, Laravel will use Gmail's SMTP to send emails from your application.

—

### 1. **Check Gmail SMTP Requirements**
Use the following Gmail SMTP details in your Laravel `.env` file:

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
   MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
   MAIL_PORT=587
   MAIL_USERNAME=your_gmail_address@gmail.com
   MAIL_PASSWORD=your_gmail_app_password
   MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
   MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=your_gmail_address@gmail.com
   MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

—

### 2. **Unlock SMTP on EC2**
– **AWS blocks outbound SMTP traffic on port 25** for free-tier instances.
– Instead, use port **587** (TLS) or **465** (SSL), which Gmail supports.
– If port 25 is required (not recommended), you must request AWS to lift the restriction:
1. Go to the [EC2 SMTP Request Form](https://aws.amazon.com/premiumsupport/knowledge-center/ec2-port-25-throttle/).
2. Submit the request to unblock port 25 for your instance. Approval may take a few days.

—

### 3. **Update EC2 Security Group**
– Ensure your EC2 security group allows outbound traffic on the following ports:
– **587 (TLS)** for Gmail.
– Optionally **465 (SSL)**.

To allow these ports:
1. Open your EC2 dashboard in AWS Management Console.
2. Select your instance, and go to the **Security Groups** section.
3. Edit the outbound rules:
– Protocol: TCP
– Port Range: 587 (and/or 465)
– Destination: 0.0.0.0/0

—

### 4. **Install Mail Extensions (if needed)**
Ensure your EC2 instance has the necessary PHP extensions for email functionality:

sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install php-mbstring php-xml php-common
   sudo systemctl restart apache2

—

### 5. **Test Email Functionality**
Use the following Laravel test to verify email sending:

Route::get('/test-email', function () {
       Mail::raw('This is a test email.', function ($message) {
           $message->to('recipient@example.com')->subject('Test Email');
       });
       return 'Test email sent!';
   });

Access `http://your-ec2-public-ip/test-email` to test email sending.

—

### 6. **Troubleshooting**
– **Check EC2 Logs**: If emails fail to send, check the logs using:

tail -f /var/log/maillog

– **Firewall or ISP Blocking**: If you still experience issues, confirm with your ISP or AWS support about outbound SMTP traffic restrictions.

—

### 7. **Consider AWS SES (Optional)**
For better performance and reliability:
– Use **AWS Simple Email Service (SES)** instead of Gmail SMTP.
– AWS SES works seamlessly with EC2 and allows sending emails without SMTP restrictions.

—

Let me know if you'd like help setting up AWS SES or resolving specific issues with Gmail SMTP on EC2.