---
title: "Metabase SMTP settings for subscriptions and alerts"
description: "Admin → Settings → Email or MB_EMAIL_SMTP_* variables: STARTTLS on 587, SSL on 465."
url: https://www.unitpost.com/docs/smtp/metabase
section: SMTP
updated: 2026-11-02
---
# Metabase SMTP settings for subscriptions and alerts

## Connection settings

- **Host**: smtp.unitpost.com
- **Username**: unitpost (always this literal value)
- **Password**: Your Unitpost API key (must carry emails:send)
- **Port (STARTTLS)**: 587 (or 2587 if blocked, or 25)
- **Port (implicit TLS)**: 465 (or 2465 if blocked)
- **Security**: TLS 1.2 or 1.3 (required before AUTH)
- **From address**: Any address on a verified domain

## Metabase SMTP settings for subscriptions and alerts

> Admin → Settings → Email or MB_EMAIL_SMTP_* variables: STARTTLS on 587, SSL on 465.

Self-hosted Metabase emails dashboard subscriptions, alerts and user invites through the SMTP server under Admin → Settings → Email. Its SMTP Security labels are easy to misread: SSL is implicit TLS for port 465, while TLS and STARTTLS both upgrade a plain connection on 587, and only STARTTLS refuses to continue without the upgrade. The sender defaults to `notifications@metabase.com`, so change From address before you test.

### 1. Create a send-only key

In Unitpost, open Settings → SMTP and create a send-only key. From address must be on a verified domain (/docs/domains).

### 2. Fill in the email settings

- SMTP Host: smtp.unitpost.com
- SMTP Port: 587
- SMTP Security: STARTTLS
- SMTP Username: unitpost
- SMTP Password: Your Unitpost API key
- From Name: Metabase
- From address: metabase@yourdomain.com

> For port 465, choose SSL. On save, Metabase tests the connection; if it fails, it retries with the other security options and warns you when one of those worked instead.

### 3. Or set environment variables

Environment variables take precedence over the admin form. Metabase reads them at startup, so restart it after setting them.

```env
MB_EMAIL_SMTP_HOST=smtp.unitpost.com
MB_EMAIL_SMTP_PORT=587
MB_EMAIL_SMTP_SECURITY=starttls
MB_EMAIL_SMTP_USERNAME=unitpost
MB_EMAIL_SMTP_PASSWORD=pk_live_...
MB_EMAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=metabase@yourdomain.com
MB_EMAIL_FROM_NAME=Metabase
```

### 4. Send a test email

Click Send test email on the email settings page. Metabase sends it to your own account's address with the subject `Metabase Test Email`; check it in Unitpost Emails.

### 5. If it fails

`535 5.7.8` means the username isn't `unitpost`. `550 5.7.1` means From address isn't on a verified domain, which includes the `notifications@metabase.com` default.

## Related

- [Configure the Gitea mailer over SMTP](https://www.unitpost.com/docs/smtp/gitea): Mailer settings in app.ini with an explicit PROTOCOL and FROM, then Send Testing Email in Site Administration.
- [Send email with Nodemailer over SMTP](https://www.unitpost.com/docs/smtp/nodemailer): createTransport pointed at Unitpost — Node, Next.js, or NestJS.
- [Send Supabase auth email over SMTP](https://www.unitpost.com/docs/smtp/supabase): Magic links and confirmations from your verified domain.