Third-party features and integrations: Setting up SendGrid mailer for NodeBB

[Jay Moonah]

One of the first important things to do after setting up NodeBB is to set up an emailer plugin. While NodeBB does include a local emailer, if your forum is particularly active we recommend using an third-party emailer such as SendGrid which provides better deliverability for sites that send a high volume of email. Setting up SendGrid in NodeBB is very easy.

1. Open the administrative dashboard using the 'gear' icon on your forum.
2. Open the Extend > Plugins menu, and select the Find Plugins tab.
3. Use the search on the right. Type 'SendGrid' and the plugin should appear -- select Install when you see it.
4. From Installed tab on the Plugins menu, search again for 'SendGrid' and select Activate.
5. Activating the plugin will require a restart of your forum. To restart, select the Dashboard menu and press the Restart button to the right. After NodeBB restarts, the SendGrid plugin will be active.

After you restart, there should be a item called Emailer (SendGrid) under the Plugins menu -- if you don't see this right away, try refreshing your browser.

Sign up to SendGrid

1. Go to the SendGrid website, open the pricing page and scroll to the bottom. Click on the link and create your free account.
2. Once you've confirmed your SendGrid account via email, you should be able to login to the SendGrid website. On the left side of your SendGrid dashboard, open Settings and click on API Keys.
3. Click the button in the top right to create a new key. Make sure that the key has Full Access for Send Mail and Alerts.  When you are done, the new key to your clipboard.

Now, return to the SendGrid menu on your NodeBB admin panel. Paste the API key into the field, and save your changes. Now go back to the Dashboard to restart your forum one more time.

SendGrid should now be working for your forum.

 Setting up SendGrid mailer for NodeBB