One reliable sending point for all your applications.
An SMTP relay is an outgoing mail server through which your software sends email, instead of sending directly from your own webshop, server or application. That gives you central control, authentication and delivery — without every system needing its own mail configuration, reputation and IP address.
What is an SMTP relay?
An intermediate station that expertly forwards every outgoing email from your applications to your recipient's inbox.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the standard protocol servers and applications use to send email. When a webshop, CRM, ERP package or your own server sends directly, it usually does so from an IP address without any sending history. Mailbox providers such as Gmail, Outlook and Proximus do not know that address, do not trust it, and often filter messages out automatically — straight into the spam folder or, worse, with a hard rejection.
An SMTP relay solves this by positioning itself between your application and the final recipient. Instead of every application managing its own mail server, IP reputation and the right authentication records, everything is sent through a single controlled, warmed-up and authenticated sending point. That relay monitors the quality of each outgoing message, applies rate limits where needed, and makes sure mailbox providers recognise and trust the sender.
Why central sending makes the difference
The result is one place to configure authentication, one place to follow up delivery, bounces and rejections, and one party responsible for the reputation of the sending IP address. For a company that mails from several systems — a webshop for order confirmations, a CRM for customer communication, a server for notifications — that is the difference between loose, vulnerable sending channels and one professionally managed mail infrastructure.
From your application to the inbox
Three steps, one controlled path. This is how every email travels through the 2mail relay.
Your application
Webshop, CRM, ERP or server hands the email over via SMTP using your own credentials.
2mail relay
Authentication, rate limiting, automatic retry and logging on Belgian infrastructure.
The inbox
The message arrives recognised and trusted at Gmail, Outlook, Proximus and the like.
Your domain remains the sender — the relay sends on your behalf, not on behalf of 2mail.
Five fields, and you send via 2mail
You connect every application with exactly the same SMTP details. Enter them once in your webshop, CRM, ERP or mail application and all outgoing mail from that system runs through our infrastructure from then on — without any further changes to your software.
- Port 587 with TLS is the universally supported standard for authenticated sending.
- Your personal login authenticates every message — no open or anonymous sending route.
- You connect multiple applications through the same or separate logins, each with its own insight.
How to connect your application
From SMTP details to fully live traffic, in four clear steps.
Enter the SMTP details
Add the host, port 587 and your personal login in your application. Done in a few minutes.
Set up authentication
We configure SPF, DKIM & DMARC for your domain in one click as proof of origin.
Testing & IP warm-up
We test the connection and, where needed, build up the reputation of the IP address in a controlled way.
Live with monitoring
You send live while we continuously monitor delivery, bounces and rejections.
Managed relay or direct sending?
Sending directly from a webshop, server or application looks simple, but in practice brings a series of risks. A single misconfigured application can undermine the deliverability of all your email — including critical system messages.
Direct sending
Every system on its own- IP address without sending history or reputation
- SPF, DKIM & DMARC configured manually and often incorrectly
- No protection against sudden volume spikes
- No automatic retry on greylisting or throttling
- No central view of bounces and rejections
- High risk of the spam folder or a hard rejection
Via the 2mail relay
One managed sending point- Warmed-up, randomised IP pool on Belgian servers
- SPF, DKIM & DMARC correctly configured in one click
- Rate limiting per domain protects your reputation
- Automatic retry on temporary errors
- Full logging of every rejection and bounce
- High deliverability and personal follow-up
With 2mail you do not have to manage a mail server, build up an IP reputation or interpret bounce and rejection reports by hand: we do that, with personal support whenever you need it. Everything runs in line with Belgian and European data protection rules (GDPR), on infrastructure that JAAN bv has managed from Zelzate since 2000.
Typical uses of an SMTP relay
Would you like to dive deeper into deliverability, or specifically into transactional email such as order confirmations and password resets? Then read more about email deliverability or about transactional email at 2mail.
Sending campaigns over the same relay as well? Then have a look at email marketing at 2mail, the steps for sending a mailing, and what that costs under our pricing.
Frequently asked questions about SMTP relay
Connect your first application
We help you personally with the configuration and IP warm-up, on Belgian infrastructure and in line with the GDPR.
