It largely depends on the specific VPS and the operating system you are using. Nevertheless, here is a general guideline to setup a process for sending emails from your VPS (Linux-based):
For this purpose, many people use Postfix, a free and open-source mail transfer agent that routes and delivers email.
1. First, you will need to install Postfix. If you’re on a debian based system such as Ubuntu, you can use the following command:
`sudo apt-get install postfix`1. During the installation, a prompt will appear asking for the type of mail configuration. Choose “Internet Site”.
1. Next, you will need to configure your system mail name. It’s usually the same as your domain name.
1. Open your postfix configuration file by using the following command:
`sudo nano /etc/postfix/main.cf`1. Look for the “myhostname” line and make sure it’s equal to your mail domain.
E.g.: `myhostname = mail.your_domain.com`1. Find the line “inet\_interfaces” and set it to all, which means that Postfix will process requests on all network interfaces.
1. Save the changes and close the file.
1. Afterwards, start the Postfix with following command:
`sudo service postfix start`1. Now you should be able to send emails. You can try sending an email with:
`echo “This is the body of the email” | mail -s “This is the subject line” user@example.com`Remember: this is a very basic configuration. If you plan on sending emails to customers, you may also need to take additional steps such as configuring SPF and DKIM records, using a reverse DNS, ensure your IP is not blacklisted etc in order not to end up in the spam folder of the recipients.
Also, ensure that your VPS provider allows sending emails as some providers block SMTP traffic.
Lastly, if you’re not familiar with email delivery best practices, you might want to consider using an established Email Service Provider (like SendGrid, Mailgun, or similar) instead that will handle these things for you.
