> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.outpost.pub/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Mailgun Integration

> How Outpost delivers your transactional and bulk emails: engagement tracking, bounce handling, and reply routing all handled for you.

Outpost uses Mailgun to deliver every email your publication sends: welcome flows, autoresponder triggers, campaigns, receipts, and system notifications. There is no Mailgun account or API key to set up. Outpost handles delivery for you.

<Frame caption="Mailgun-powered email delivery is built in: there's nothing to configure to get started.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/outpost-eb0cfbad/-cSE19cqpLAJyGqt/images/integrations/mailgun-settings.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=-cSE19cqpLAJyGqt&q=85&s=8c32d8fd6f991546457e3a32091297b9" alt="Mailgun-powered delivery in Outpost" width="1540" height="252" data-path="images/integrations/mailgun-settings.png" />
</Frame>

***

## How email delivery works

When your account is created, Outpost automatically:

1. Assigns your publication a sending address on a shared Outpost domain (e.g., `your-publication-com@notify.outpost.pub`).
2. Configures a Mailgun route so that any replies sent to that address are forwarded to your inbox.
3. Sends every email (autoresponder, campaign, receipt, system notification) through Mailgun.
4. Receives delivery, open, click, bounce, and complaint events back from Mailgun in real time.
5. Feeds those events into your Outpost analytics, member engagement scoring, bounce suppression, and the [Activity Log](/features/activity-log). The daily and weekly report emails sent to your team are the exception: opens and clicks on them are not recorded.

You don't need to install anything, copy any keys, or wire up DNS to start sending.

***

## Sending from your own domain (recommended)

Most publishers eventually upgrade to a **custom sending domain** so emails come from `hello@mail.yourpublication.com` instead of the shared Outpost domain. This improves deliverability, builds your sender reputation, and shows your brand in the "from" field.

Setting up a custom domain is a guided DNS workflow inside Outpost. You don't need a Mailgun account. See [Autoresponder Sending Domain](/features/autoresponder-sending-domain) for the step-by-step setup. Your domain verifies on its SPF, DKIM, MX, and CNAME records. Outpost lists a DMARC record separately, under Recommended (not required), so a domain verifies whether or not you add one.

<Tip>
  You can keep using the shared Outpost sending address indefinitely. Custom domains are optional but strongly recommended for any publication that's serious about deliverability.
</Tip>

***

## What gets tracked

Mailgun reports every important delivery event back to Outpost automatically:

| Event            | What it means                                                        |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Delivered**    | The recipient's mail server accepted the email.                      |
| **Opened**       | The recipient opened the email (tracked via pixel).                  |
| **Clicked**      | The recipient clicked a link in the email.                           |
| **Bounced**      | Delivery failed: hard bounce (permanent) or soft bounce (temporary). |
| **Unsubscribed** | The recipient clicked an unsubscribe link.                           |
| **Complained**   | The recipient marked the email as spam.                              |

This data powers email analytics in the [Outpost Dashboard](/features/dashboard), per-email performance metrics in the [Activity Log](/features/activity-log), and member engagement signals used by retention features. Opens and clicks on the daily and weekly report emails sent to your team are the exception: they are not recorded.

***

## Bounce handling

When a hard bounce comes in, Outpost automatically:

1. Marks the member's email address as bounced.
2. Suppresses future sends to that address.
3. Optionally applies a `bounced` label so you can segment those members.
4. Records the bounce event in the [Activity Log](/features/activity-log).

Soft bounces are tracked but do not suppress sends unless they persist.

***

## Bulk sends

Outpost handles large sends automatically:

* Bulk campaign sends are processed in batches.
* Large recipient lists are paced out to protect your sender reputation.
* Failed sends are retried automatically.

You don't need to configure batching, pacing, or retries: Outpost does this on every send.

***

## EU data region

If your publication serves European members and needs data residency in the EU, contact Outpost support. EU routing is supported but requires account-level configuration on our side rather than a setting you toggle.

***

## Related features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Autoresponder Sending Domain" icon="globe" href="/features/autoresponder-sending-domain">
    Send from your own domain for better deliverability and branding.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Email Design Settings" icon="palette" href="/features/email-design-settings">
    Configure from name, from address, and email appearance.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Outpost Dashboard" icon="chart-line" href="/features/dashboard">
    View email performance metrics and engagement data.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Activity Log" icon="list" href="/features/activity-log">
    Track individual email delivery and engagement events.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do I need a Mailgun account?">
    No. Outpost includes Mailgun-powered delivery: there's nothing for you to install, configure, or pay for separately.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use my own Mailgun account?">
    Most publishers have no reason to. If you have a specific reason (for example, an existing high-volume Mailgun contract you want to keep), contact Outpost support. The standard Outpost setup uses our shared Mailgun infrastructure and is what we recommend for the vast majority of publications.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What address do my emails come from by default?">
    Each publication gets an address on the shared Outpost domain, like `your-publication-com@notify.outpost.pub`. Replies forward to your inbox automatically. Most publishers move to an [Autoresponder Sending Domain](/features/autoresponder-sending-domain) before launch so emails come from their own brand.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why are my emails going to spam?">
    Common causes: sending from the shared Outpost domain (mailbox providers prefer your own verified domain), low engagement rates, or (if you have a custom domain) missing or incorrect DNS records. Set up an [Autoresponder Sending Domain](/features/autoresponder-sending-domain) if you haven't already, and double-check the SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records there.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if Mailgun is down?">
    Outpost retries sends automatically when Mailgun is temporarily unavailable. Critical events queue and resume on recovery.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I see which emails were sent to a specific member?">
    Yes. Open the member's detail page and check the Activity section to see every email event: sent, opened, clicked, bounced, or unsubscribed.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>