Understanding Email Messaging
The Vonage Messages API Email channel enables you to send emails using the same unified API you already use for SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, and other messaging channels.
This page explains how the Email channel works, what is supported in the current Beta release, and the key concepts you need to understand before building with it.
The Beta release focuses on transactional email use cases and includes the following capabilities:
- One-to-one outbound email — send a single email to a single recipient per API request.
- Plain text and HTML content — use
message_type: "text"for plain text ormessage_type: "html"for HTML emails. - Transactional use cases — order confirmations, password resets, shipping notifications, and similar automated messages.
- Delivery status via webhooks — receive status updates using the same webhook model as other Messages API channels.
- Regional sending — send emails via geo-specific endpoints aligned with your verified domain region.
Email Integration to Messages API
Email is integrated as a new channel within the existing Messages API model. No new base endpoints are introduced — you use the same /v1/messages endpoint you already use for other channels.
To send an email, set "channel": "email" in your request body. The message_type field accepts "text" for plain text emails and "html" for HTML emails.
Email Use Cases
The Email channel is designed for transactional use cases where a message is triggered by a user action or a system event. Common examples include:
- Order confirmations and receipts — send a confirmation email immediately after a purchase.
- Password reset and account verification — deliver time-sensitive security emails reliably.
- Shipping and delivery notifications — keep customers informed at each stage of fulfilment.
- Appointment reminders — reduce no-shows with automated reminder emails
- System alerts and notifications — notify users or internal teams of important events in real time.