> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://coldbox.ortusbooks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://coldbox.ortusbooks.com/ecosystem/mail.md).

# Mail

Send email from ColdBox applications with cbmailservices — protocol-based, testable, and environment-aware.

ColdBox sends email through the **cbmailservices** module: an object-oriented mailer with pluggable protocols, so your code never changes between environments.

```bash
box install cbmailservices
```

📖 **Full documentation:** [cbmailservices.ortusbooks.com](https://cbmailservices.ortusbooks.com)

## Quick Example

```javascript
property name="mailService" inject="MailService@cbmailservices";

var mail = mailService.newMail(
    to      : user.getEmail(),
    from    : "no-reply@myapp.com",
    subject : "Welcome!"
)

mail.setBody( renderView( "emails/welcome", { user : user } ) )
mailService.send( mail )
```

## Protocols

Switch delivery per environment without touching application code:

| Protocol   | Use                                            |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `CFMail`   | Traditional engine mail sending                |
| `File`     | Write emails to disk — perfect for development |
| `Postmark` | Via the `PostBox` protocol module              |
| `SendGrid` | Via the `send-grid-protocol` module            |

```javascript
// config/ColdBox.bx — development
mailservices : {
    protocol : "file",
    filePath : "/runtime/mail"
}
```

You can build your own protocol by extending the base protocol class — the interface is small and documented in the module book.

## When to Use It

* Transactional email (welcome, password reset, receipts)
* Rendering email bodies with ColdBox views and layouts
* Testing mail flows locally without an SMTP server

## See Also

* [Queues](/ecosystem/queues.md) — queue mail sending with `cbq` for non-blocking delivery
* [Views](/the-basics/layouts-and-views/views.md) — rendering email templates


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