Last updated: August 28, 2026.
Authenticated SMTP provides a clear server, port, encryption mode, and error path. PHPMailer handles message formatting and protocol details more reliably than hand-built headers.
Configure SMTP
<?php
require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;
$mail = new PHPMailer(true);
$mail->isSMTP(); $mail->Host = getenv('SMTP_HOST'); $mail->SMTPAuth = true;
$mail->Username = getenv('SMTP_USER'); $mail->Password = getenv('SMTP_PASSWORD');
$mail->SMTPSecure = PHPMailer::ENCRYPTION_STARTTLS; $mail->Port = 587;
$mail->setFrom('[email protected]', 'Example App');
$mail->addAddress('[email protected]');
$mail->Subject = 'Your report is ready'; $mail->Body = 'The report is available.';
$mail->send();Match the provider settings
- Use the exact host, port, and TLS mode supplied by the provider.
- Keep credentials in a secret store or environment variables.
- Do not disable certificate verification.
- Catch exceptions and record a safe diagnostic.
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Reference: PHPMailer official repository.
