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

# Introduction

> Welcome to the Posthoot documentation

# Welcome to Posthoot

Hey there! 👋 You're probably here because you're tired of being locked into expensive email marketing platforms that don't give you the control you need. We get it - we've been there too.

Posthoot is what we built to solve that problem. It's an open-source email marketing engine that puts you back in control. No more vendor lock-in, no more black-box algorithms, and definitely no more surprise bills.

## What's the deal with Posthoot?

Think of Posthoot as your own personal email marketing platform, but better. Here's what makes it different:

* **You own the code** - It's open source, so you can see exactly what's happening and modify anything you want
* **Multiple SMTP providers** - Use SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, or any other provider. Switch between them without losing data
* **AI that actually helps** - We're building real AI features that optimize your campaigns, not just marketing buzzwords
* **Self-hosted** - Run it on your own servers, keep your data under your control
* **Actually affordable** - No hidden fees or enterprise pricing tiers

## Why we built this

We got frustrated with the current email marketing landscape. You either get locked into expensive platforms like Mailchimp or SendGrid, or you're stuck with basic SMTP libraries that don't give you the features you need for serious email marketing.

Posthoot bridges that gap. You get enterprise-level features (analytics, automation, templates) without the enterprise-level lock-in. Plus, since it's built in Go, it's fast, reliable, and easy to deploy.

## What you can actually do with it

### Send emails through multiple providers

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Connect to SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, or any other SMTP provider. If one goes down, your emails keep flowing through the others.

```go theme={"dark"}
// Example: Send through multiple providers
email := &Email{
    To: "user@example.com",
    Subject: "Welcome!",
    Providers: []string{"sendgrid", "mailgun"}, // Will try SendGrid first, then Mailgun
}
```

### Build custom email templates

No more fighting with WYSIWYG editors. Write your templates in HTML/CSS, use our templating engine for dynamic content, and preview exactly how they'll look.

### AI-powered optimization (coming soon)

We're working on real AI features that will:

* Predict which subject lines will perform better
* Suggest the best time to send emails
* Automatically segment your audience based on behavior
* Run A/B tests and optimize based on results

### Track everything

Open rates, click rates, conversions, bounces - you name it, we track it. Plus, you get real-time analytics so you can see how your campaigns are performing right now.

### Automate your campaigns

Set up drip campaigns, trigger emails based on user actions, and let the system handle the rest. No more manually sending follow-up emails.

## Tech stack (for the nerds)

We built this with modern, battle-tested tech:

* **Backend**: Go 1.21+ (because we like fast, reliable code)
* **Database**: PostgreSQL 14+ (ACID compliance matters for email data)
* **Cache**: Redis (for speed and rate limiting)
* **Authentication**: JWT + Firebase (secure and flexible)
* **Email processing**: Asynchronous queues (so your API doesn't block)

The whole thing is designed to handle millions of emails without breaking a sweat.

## Getting started

### If you're using our hosted version

The API is available at `https://api.posthoot.com`. You'll need an account and API key to get started.

### If you're self-hosting

You'll need:

* Go 1.21+
* PostgreSQL 14+
* Redis 6.0+
* At least one SMTP provider (SendGrid, Mailgun, etc.)

Docker makes this a lot easier - check out our [self-hosting guide](/guides/self-hosting) for the full setup.

## Quick example

Here's how you'd send your first email with Posthoot:

```bash theme={"dark"}
# 1. Create an account
curl -X POST https://api.posthoot.com/auth/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "email": "your@email.com",
    "password": "your_password",
    "first_name": "Your",
    "last_name": "Name"
  }'

# 2. Login to get your token
curl -X POST https://api.posthoot.com/auth/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "email": "your@email.com",
    "password": "your_password"
  }'

# 3. Send an email (replace YOUR_TOKEN with the token from step 2)
curl -X POST https://api.posthoot.com/email \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "recipient@example.com",
    "subject": "Hello from Posthoot!",
    "html": "<h1>Welcome!</h1><p>This email was sent via Posthoot.</p>",
    "from": "you@yourdomain.com"
  }'
```

That's it! Your email is sent and tracked. Check out the [authentication guide](/authentication) for more details on tokens and security.

## Where to go from here

### If you're new to Posthoot

Start with the [vision](/vision) to understand what we're building, then check out the [authentication guide](/authentication) to learn how to get your API tokens.

### If you want to dive deeper

* [Rate limiting](/rate-limiting) - How we handle API usage
* [Error handling](/errors) - What to do when things go wrong
* [Quickstart guide](/guides/quickstart) - A more detailed walkthrough

### If you're ready to build

* [Self-hosting](/guides/self-hosting) - Run your own instance
* [Campaign management](/guides/campaigns) - Build email campaigns
* [Templates](/guides/templates) - Create custom email templates

## Need help?

We're here to help! Here's where to find us:

* **Discord community** - Join our [Discord](https://discord.gg/MXQgb9s5bA) for real-time help
* **GitHub issues** - Found a bug? [Report it here](https://github.com/posthoot/mail/issues)
* **Feature requests** - Want something new? [Let us know](https://github.com/posthoot/mail/discussions)
* **Email** - [team@posthoot.com](mailto:team@posthoot.com) for general questions

### Contributing

Posthoot is open source, and we love contributions! Check out our [contributing guide](https://github.com/posthoot/mail/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) to get started.

Star us on [GitHub](https://github.com/posthoot/mail) if you find this useful! ⭐