> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.servflow.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Communication

> Send emails and notifications from your ServFlow workflows

Communication actions allow you to send messages and notifications from your workflows. Use these actions to send transactional emails, alerts, and user notifications.

***

## email

Sends email messages via SMTP. Use this action for transactional emails like welcome messages, password resets, order confirmations, and alerts.

### Sender Email

The email address the message will be sent from.

|              |               |
| ------------ | ------------- |
| **YAML Key** | `senderEmail` |
| **Type**     | string        |
| **Required** | Yes           |

### Recipient Email

The email address to send the message to.

|              |                  |
| ------------ | ---------------- |
| **YAML Key** | `recipientEmail` |
| **Type**     | string           |
| **Required** | Yes              |

### Name

The sender's display name that appears in the recipient's inbox.

|              |        |
| ------------ | ------ |
| **YAML Key** | `name` |
| **Type**     | string |
| **Required** | Yes    |

### Subject

The email subject line.

|              |           |
| ------------ | --------- |
| **YAML Key** | `subject` |
| **Type**     | string    |
| **Required** | No        |

### Content

The email body content. Supports plain text or HTML.

|              |           |
| ------------ | --------- |
| **YAML Key** | `content` |
| **Type**     | string    |
| **Required** | Yes       |

### Auth

SMTP server authentication configuration.

|              |        |
| ------------ | ------ |
| **YAML Key** | `auth` |
| **Type**     | object |
| **Required** | Yes    |

The auth object contains the following fields:

#### Server Hostname

The SMTP server hostname.

|              |                  |
| ------------ | ---------------- |
| **YAML Key** | `serverHostname` |
| **Type**     | string           |
| **Required** | Yes              |

#### Server Port

The SMTP server port (typically 587 for TLS or 465 for SSL).

|              |              |
| ------------ | ------------ |
| **YAML Key** | `serverPort` |
| **Type**     | string       |
| **Required** | Yes          |

#### Username

The SMTP authentication username.

|              |            |
| ------------ | ---------- |
| **YAML Key** | `username` |
| **Type**     | string     |
| **Required** | Yes        |

#### Password

The SMTP authentication password.

|              |            |
| ------------ | ---------- |
| **YAML Key** | `password` |
| **Type**     | string     |
| **Required** | Yes        |

<Tip>
  Store SMTP credentials in secrets and reference them with `{{ secret "SECRET_NAME" }}` to keep them secure.
</Tip>

***

## Examples

### Welcome Email

Send a welcome email when a user registers:

```yaml theme={null}
actions:
  send_welcome_email:
    type: email
    config:
      senderEmail: "noreply@example.com"
      recipientEmail: "{{ param \"email\" }}"
      name: "My Application"
      subject: "Welcome to Our Service"
      content: |
        Hello {{ param "name" }},
        
        Welcome to our service! Your account has been created successfully.
        
        Here's what you can do next:
        - Complete your profile
        - Explore our features
        - Connect with other users
        
        If you have any questions, reply to this email.
        
        Best regards,
        The Team
      auth:
        serverHostname: smtp.example.com
        serverPort: "587"
        username: "{{ secret \"SMTP_USER\" }}"
        password: "{{ secret \"SMTP_PASS\" }}"
    next: response.success
    fail: response.email_error
```

### Password Reset Email

Send a password reset link:

```yaml theme={null}
actions:
  generate_reset_token:
    type: jwt
    config:
      mode: encode
      field: "{{ .user.id }}"
      key: "{{ secret \"JWT_SECRET\" }}"
      claims:
        purpose: password_reset
        exp: "{{ now | date_modify \"+1h\" | unixEpoch }}"
    next: action.send_reset_email

  send_reset_email:
    type: email
    config:
      senderEmail: "security@example.com"
      recipientEmail: "{{ .user.email }}"
      name: "Example Security"
      subject: "Password Reset Request"
      content: |
        Hi {{ .user.name }},
        
        We received a request to reset your password.
        
        Click the link below to reset your password:
        https://example.com/reset-password?token={{ .generate_reset_token }}
        
        This link expires in 1 hour.
        
        If you didn't request this, you can safely ignore this email.
        
        - The Security Team
      auth:
        serverHostname: "{{ secret \"SMTP_HOST\" }}"
        serverPort: "{{ secret \"SMTP_PORT\" }}"
        username: "{{ secret \"SMTP_USER\" }}"
        password: "{{ secret \"SMTP_PASS\" }}"
    next: response.success
```

### Order Confirmation Email

Send an order confirmation with details:

```yaml theme={null}
actions:
  send_order_confirmation:
    type: email
    config:
      senderEmail: "orders@example.com"
      recipientEmail: "{{ .customer.email }}"
      name: "Example Store"
      subject: "Order Confirmation #{{ .order.id }}"
      content: |
        Thank you for your order, {{ .customer.name }}!
        
        Order Number: {{ .order.id }}
        Order Date: {{ .order.created_at }}
        
        Items:
        {{ range .order.items }}
        - {{ .name }} x {{ .quantity }}: ${{ .price }}
        {{ end }}
        
        Subtotal: ${{ .order.subtotal }}
        Tax: ${{ .order.tax }}
        Total: ${{ .order.total }}
        
        Shipping Address:
        {{ .customer.address.street }}
        {{ .customer.address.city }}, {{ .customer.address.state }} {{ .customer.address.zip }}
        
        You will receive a shipping confirmation when your order ships.
        
        Thank you for shopping with us!
      auth:
        serverHostname: smtp.example.com
        serverPort: "587"
        username: "{{ secret \"SMTP_USER\" }}"
        password: "{{ secret \"SMTP_PASS\" }}"
    next: response.confirmation_sent
```

### Alert Notification

Send an alert email when an event occurs:

```yaml theme={null}
actions:
  send_alert:
    type: email
    config:
      senderEmail: "alerts@example.com"
      recipientEmail: "{{ secret \"ADMIN_EMAIL\" }}"
      name: "System Alerts"
      subject: "[ALERT] {{ param \"alert_type\" }} - Immediate Attention Required"
      content: |
        An alert has been triggered:
        
        Type: {{ param "alert_type" }}
        Severity: {{ param "severity" }}
        Timestamp: {{ now }}
        
        Details:
        {{ param "message" }}
        
        Please investigate immediately.
        
        ---
        This is an automated message from the monitoring system.
      auth:
        serverHostname: smtp.example.com
        serverPort: "587"
        username: "{{ secret \"SMTP_USER\" }}"
        password: "{{ secret \"SMTP_PASS\" }}"
    next: response.alert_sent
    fail: response.alert_failed
```

### HTML Email

Send a formatted HTML email:

```yaml theme={null}
actions:
  send_html_email:
    type: email
    config:
      senderEmail: "marketing@example.com"
      recipientEmail: "{{ param \"email\" }}"
      name: "Example Newsletter"
      subject: "Your Weekly Update"
      content: |
        <!DOCTYPE html>
        <html>
        <head>
          <style>
            body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; }
            .header { background: #4A90D9; color: white; padding: 20px; text-align: center; }
            .content { padding: 20px; }
            .button { background: #4A90D9; color: white; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 5px; }
            .footer { background: #f5f5f5; padding: 10px; text-align: center; font-size: 12px; }
          </style>
        </head>
        <body>
          <div class="header">
            <h1>Weekly Update</h1>
          </div>
          <div class="content">
            <p>Hello {{ param "name" }},</p>
            <p>Here's what's new this week...</p>
            <p><a href="https://example.com/read-more" class="button">Read More</a></p>
          </div>
          <div class="footer">
            <p>You're receiving this because you subscribed to our newsletter.</p>
            <p><a href="https://example.com/unsubscribe">Unsubscribe</a></p>
          </div>
        </body>
        </html>
      auth:
        serverHostname: smtp.example.com
        serverPort: "587"
        username: "{{ secret \"SMTP_USER\" }}"
        password: "{{ secret \"SMTP_PASS\" }}"
    next: response.sent
```

***

## Common SMTP Providers

| Provider           | Hostname                          | Port |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------- | ---- |
| Gmail              | smtp.gmail.com                    | 587  |
| SendGrid           | smtp.sendgrid.net                 | 587  |
| Mailgun            | smtp.mailgun.org                  | 587  |
| Amazon SES         | email-smtp.{region}.amazonaws.com | 587  |
| Outlook/Office 365 | smtp.office365.com                | 587  |

<Note>
  Some providers require app-specific passwords or API keys instead of your regular account password. Check your provider's documentation for SMTP authentication requirements.
</Note>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Secrets Management" icon="key" href="/references/secrets">
    Securely store SMTP credentials for your email actions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="lock" href="/concepts/actions/authentication">
    Generate password reset tokens and secure links.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Data Operations" icon="database" href="/concepts/actions/data-operations">
    Fetch user data to personalize your emails.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Actions Overview" icon="play" href="/concepts/actions/overview">
    Learn the fundamentals of ServFlow actions.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>