Title: API Mailer for AWS SES Author: beltoftnet Published: December 29, 2025 Last modified: October 7, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://s.w.org/plugins/geopattern-icon/api-mailer-for-aws-ses.svg) # API Mailer for AWS SES By [beltoftnet](https://profiles.wordpress.org/beltoftnet/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses.1.5.zip) * [Details](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/#description) * [Reviews](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/#reviews) * [Installation](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/#installation) * [Development](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/) ## Description API Mailer for AWS SES replaces `wp_mail()` with a direct Amazon SES API integration( SendRawEmail). There is no SMTP layer: PHPMailer only builds the message, which is then sent straight to the SES API. The plugin focuses on correctness, performance, and operational clarity: – Direct AWS SigV4 signed requests to SES – Minimal overhead in the `wp_mail()` hook – Optional background queue with Action Scheduler or wp_cron fallback – Optional logging via WooCommerce logger or PHP error_log – Clean, PSR-4 structured codebase ### Key Features 1. Direct SES API (SendRawEmail) integration — no SMTP required. 2. Background sending queue with Action Scheduler or wp_cron fallback. 3. Tiny-args queueing with job IDs to keep cron payloads small and private. 4. Configurable rate limiting per second to stay under SES send rate. 5. wp_mail() compatible: all headers (incl. List-Unsubscribe), attachments, inline images, phpmailer_init. 6. Test tab to send a test email and a Status tab to fetch SES GetSendQuota. 7. Logging via WooCommerce logger or PHP error_log, disabled by default. 8. Credentials from wp-config (constants) or saved settings. 9. Lightweight, minimal I/O, no Composer dependency. 10. Uninstall cleanup toggle to remove settings and queued jobs on deletion. ### Why It’s High Performance * Avoids SMTP for the send path; uses PHPMailer only for MIME construction, then sends via SES API directly. * Background queue returns control to the request immediately when enabled. * Job payloads are stored server-side and referenced by a small `job_id` to avoid large serialized cron arguments. * Logging is optional and disabled by default to keep I/O low. ### Configuration ### Credentials in wp-config (recommended) Define the following constants above “That’s all, stop editing!” in `wp-config.php`, then enable “Read AWS credentials from wp-config” in the plugin settings. ``` define('SES_MAILER_ACCESS_KEY', 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID'); define('SES_MAILER_SECRET_KEY', 'YOUR_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY'); define('SES_MAILER_REGION', 'us-east-1'); ``` When this mode is enabled, the Access Key, Secret, and Region fields are cleared, disabled, and ignored. ### Background Sending * When enabled, emails are queued and sent out of band by Action Scheduler if available, or by wp_cron as a fallback. * The plugin stores the full email payload in an option keyed by `ses_mailer_job_{ uuid}` (autoload = no) and schedules a tiny cron/action with only `job_id`. * Retries: up to 3 total attempts with exponential backoff (60s, then 120s). * For consistent cron execution on low-traffic sites, configure a real system cron to call `wp-cron.php` regularly. ### Rate Limiting * A per-email pause is applied based on the configured send rate to avoid exceeding SES limits. ### Logging * When enabled, log entries route to WooCommerce Status Logs (source: api-mailer- for-aws-ses) if WooCommerce is active, or to the PHP error log otherwise. * Logging is disabled by default. Uncheck “Disable logging” in settings to enable. ### External Services * This plugin connects to Amazon Simple Email Service (AWS SES) at `https://email.{ region}.amazonaws.com` to send email and to fetch sending quotas. * Data sent on each email: recipients, subject, message body, headers, attachments, and your AWS access key ID (signed via AWS SigV4); required to deliver the email. * Data sent when checking quotas: your AWS access key ID and a signed request; no recipient data is sent. * Service terms: https://aws.amazon.com/service-terms/ — Privacy: https://aws.amazon. com/privacy/ ### Translations * Text domain: `api-mailer-for-aws-ses` * Translation template: `languages/api-mailer-for-aws-ses.pot` * Example: Danish `languages/api-mailer-for-aws-ses-da_DK.po` (compile to `.mo` for runtime) ### About the Author API Mailer for AWS SES is built and maintained by [beltoft.net](https://beltoft.net). ## Installation 1. Upload the plugin to `wp-content/plugins/` or install via the Plugins screen. 2. Activate the plugin. 3. Go to Settings API Mailer for AWS SES. 4. Provide AWS credentials and Region in one of two ways: 5. * Saved settings (fields on the Settings screen), or * From wp-config (recommended for production). 6. Optionally enable background sending and configure rate limit. 7. Use the Test tab to send a test email. ## FAQ Q: I get 403 SignatureDoesNotMatch. A: Check Access Key/Secret and ensure the Region matches your SES setup. Verify your “From” address is verified in SES. Q: Do test emails appear in Logs? A: Yes. Test emails are tagged and logged unless logging is disabled in settings. Q: Do I need Action Scheduler installed? A: No. If unavailable, the plugin falls back to wp_cron automatically. A real cron is recommended for consistent processing. Q: Can I keep credentials out of the database? A: Yes. Use the wp-config constants and enable “Read AWS credentials from wp-config”. ## Reviews ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fc72e0fd75df581caa04fa1a5db40802d4d4e7ede5bfe8002681bc9301092568? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Lightweight](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/lightweight-22/)󠁿 [mindthetrash](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mindthetrash/) February 16, 2026 Gets the job done without unnecessary bloat. [ Read all 1 review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/reviews/) ## Contributors & Developers “API Mailer for AWS SES” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ beltoftnet ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/beltoftnet/) [Translate “API Mailer for AWS SES” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/api-mailer-for-aws-ses) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 1.5 * Respect plugins that block emails. * Keep List-Unsubscribe and other custom headers. * Support inline images, named attachments and phpmailer_init. * Other From addresses now go to Reply-To. * Background queue keeps attachments and content type. * Stronger secret key encryption. Re-enter the key if you downgrade. #### 1.4.2 * Tested with WordPress 7.1. * Fix: failed sends now return false and fire `wp_mail_failed`; successful sends fire `wp_mail_succeeded`. * Fix: “Name ” recipients are no longer mangled. #### 1.4.1 * Tested with WordPress 7.0. #### 1.4 * New maintainer: beltoft.net. * Security: encrypt secret key at rest (AES-256-CBC), validate attachment paths against uploads/wp-content only. * Logging: replaced custom file logger with WooCommerce logger (falls back to error_log); removed Logs tab. The old `wp-content/ses-mailer-logs/` directory is no longer used and can be safely deleted. * Queue: job persistence checks throughout, retry scheduling failure handling, delete-safe stale job cleanup. * Hardening: autoloader path sanitization, cron dedup lock, proper XML error handling, rate-limit via transients. * Added PHPUnit test suite with WordPress function stubs. #### 1.3 * Use PHPMailer (bundled with WordPress) for MIME construction instead of manual MIME building; consistent with FluentSMTP and other major WP mailer plugins. * Auto-detect HTML content when plugins send HTML without explicit Content-Type header. * CC/BCC support via PHPMailer header parsing (previously silently dropped). * Remove dead `SendEmail` structured API code and manual MIME helpers. #### 1.2 * Fix broken plain text generation in background queue (was using `wp_strip_all_tags` instead of `html_to_text`). #### 1.1 * Updated text domain to match plugin slug; aligned Action Scheduler group and translation assets. * Documented AWS SES as an external service (data sent, endpoints, terms/privacy). * Improved log path resolution using uploads directory helpers; removed direct core includes; log clearing uses `wp_delete_file`. * Added Amazon SES setup guide and updated contributors list. #### 1.0.1 Rename plugin to “API Mailer for AWS SES”. Update text domain to `api-mailer-for- aws-ses`, language files, and internal identifiers. #### 1.0.0 Initial public release. – Direct SendRawEmail integration – Background queue with Action Scheduler / wp_cron – Job ID indirection for small cron args – Logging viewer with production disable – Settings link in plugin list – wp-config credential mode ## Meta * Version **1.5** * Last updated **6 days ago** * Active installations **10+** * WordPress version ** 5.7 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.1.3** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Language * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/) * Tags * [api](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/api/)[aws](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/aws/) [email](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/email/)[mailer](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/mailer/) [SES](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/ses/) * [Advanced View](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/advanced/) ## Ratings 5 out of 5 stars. * [ 1 5-star review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/reviews/?filter=5) * [ 0 4-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/reviews/?filter=4) * [ 0 3-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/reviews/?filter=3) * [ 0 2-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/reviews/?filter=2) * [ 0 1-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/reviews/?filter=1) [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ beltoftnet ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/beltoftnet/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/api-mailer-for-aws-ses/)