---
name: email-delivery-e-mail-delivery-service-server-side-configuration-sendmail-sendgrid
title: Configuring server-side email delivery service for Sendmail and SendGrid
description: Use the following steps to configure your server to use the IBM Cloud® email delivery service with Sendmail.
last-updated: 2024-07-15
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/email-delivery?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Configuring server-side email delivery service for Sendmail and SendGrid
{: #Email-delivery-server-configuration-Sendmail-SendGrid}

Use the following steps to configure your server to use the IBM Cloud® email delivery service with Sendmail.

This example is a bare metal installation of CentOS 6.5 and Ubuntu 14.
{: note}

## Pre-configuration
{: #sendmail-preconfiguration}

You need to install the following packages for Sendmail to properly use SendGrid as a smart host.

### RHEL and CentOS
{: #rhel-centos-sendmail-preconfig}

For RHEL and CentOS, run the following command:

   `yum install cyrus-sasl-plain sendmail sendmail-cf`

### Ubuntu and Debian
{: #ubuntu-debian-sendmail-preconfig}

For Ubuntu and Debian, run the following command:

   `apt-get install libsasl2-modules sendmail sendmail-cf heirloom-mailx`

## Configuring SendGrid
{: #configure-email-delivery-sendgrid}

1. Add your SendGrid username and password to the file _/etc/mail/access_:

   `AuthInfo:smtp.sendgrid.net "U:YOUR_SENDGRID_USER" "P:YOUR_SENDGRID_PASSWORD" "M:PLAIN"`

1. Run the following command to generate the /etc/mail/access.db database map:

   `makemap hash /etc/mail/access.db < /etc/mail/access`

1. Edit the /etc/mail/sendmail.mc file to use SendGrid as our smart host.

### Configuring sendmail.mc in RHEL and CentOS
{: #configure-sendmail-rhel-centos}

1. Locate and open the _sendmail.mc_ file.
1. Comment out the following line.

   `dnl define('SMART_HOST', 'smtp.your.provider')dnl`

1. Add new lines with the following code.

   `define('SMART_HOST', 'smtp.sendgrid.net')dnl`
   `FEATURE('access_db')dnl`
   `define('RELAY_MAILER_ARGS', 'TCP $h 587')dnl`
   `define('ESMTP_MAILER_ARGS', 'TCP $h 587')dnl`

### Configuring sendmail.mc in Ubuntu and Debian
{: #configure-sendmailmc-ubuntu-debian}

1. Locate and open the sendmail.mc file.
1. At the end of the file, insert the following code before the line that reads 'MAILER_DEFINITIONS'

   `define('SMART_HOST', 'smtp.sendgrid.net')dnl`
   `FEATURE('access_db')dnl`
   `define('RELAY_MAILER_ARGS', 'TCP $h 587')dnl`
   `define('ESMTP_MAILER_ARGS', 'TCP $h 587')dnl`

### Regenerate sendmail.cf
{: #regenerate-sendmailcf}

The sendmail.mc file is a collection of macros that expand into the real (and more complex) sendmail.cf config file. To make your changes accessible to Sendmail, regenerate sendmail.cf by using the m4 command.

   `m4 /etc/mail/sendmail.mc > /etc/mail/sendmail.cf`

## Restart Sendmail
{: #restart-sendmail}

Restart Sendmail by using the following command:

   `service sendmail restart`

## Test changes by using the command line mail utility
{: #test-changes-with-cl-mail-utility}

Test the changes by using the following command:

   `echo "Sendgrid and Sendmail" | mail -s "mail subject here" you@yourdomain.com`