Transactional email
Transactional email: the developer guide
Transactional email is the mail your product must send for the product to work. Notify is the thin transactional email API: you write the HTML, we deliver, you watch logs and webhooks.
Transactional vs marketing
If the user would be confused not to receive it (reset link, receipt, shipping update), it is transactional. If you are promoting a feature or sale to a list, that is marketing — use a different tool. Mixing them in one ESP is how dashboards get noisy.
Common transactional email use cases
Password reset
Secure tokens, short expiry, one-time use.
Magic links & OTP
Passwordless login and verification codes.
Receipts & invoices
Billing confirmation with amounts you already store.
Stripe billing emails
Receipts and failed payments from Stripe webhooks.
Product notifications
Follows, mentions, and activity alerts.
Orders & shipping
Marketplace confirmations and dispute mail.
More: Use-case library · 12 SaaS emails · Best practices
Transactional email API
Send over HTTPS. Authenticate with x-api-key. Free 1,000/mo · Pro $10 / 10k · Scale $50 / 100k.
// Using Fetch API
const response = await fetch('https://notify.cx/api/email/send', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
'x-api-key': 'your-api-key'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
to: 'user@example.com',
from: 'noreply@your-verified-domain.com',
subject: 'Welcome aboard!',
message: '<h1>Welcome!</h1><p>Thanks for joining us.</p>'
})
});
const data = await response.json();Related
Best for
Apps and SaaS that need auth, billing, and product notification email without a marketing suite.
Not for
Newsletters, drip campaigns, audience segmentation, or drag-and-drop campaign builders.
Frequently asked questions
What is transactional email?
Transactional email is message triggered by a user action or system event — password resets, receipts, shipping updates, security alerts. It is not a newsletter or campaign blast.
Transactional vs marketing email?
Transactional is one-to-one and expected (you asked for a reset). Marketing is promotional and usually needs explicit consent tooling, lists, and unsubscribe UX. Notify only does transactional.
What is a transactional email API?
An HTTP API that sends those triggered messages and returns delivery observability — logs and webhooks. Notify: POST /api/email/send with x-api-key.
Which transactional emails should a SaaS send?
At minimum: verify email, password reset, welcome, receipt, failed payment. See 12 transactional emails every SaaS should send on the Notify blog.
Do I need a template builder for transactional email?
No. Keep HTML in your repo (or let your AI write it) and send via API. Visual template studios are optional product surface — Notify deliberately skips them.
Best transactional email API for developers?
Pick for the job: Notify for minimal send + flat pricing; Resend if you plan on managing templates in React Email; Postmark for deliverability brand; SES for raw AWS cost if you assemble the rest.