We’re really excited to announce Postmark, our next product, which has been an idea for a long time at Wildbit, but just coming to fruition now. Postmark is an email delivery service for web applications. As with Beanstalk and Newsberry, we aimed at solving our own problems first. Read on to learn more.
So, what is Postmark?
Postmark helps web apps deliver email effectively, while giving you the tools to monitor and track delivery. It’s specifically focused on transactional email, so messages like welcome emails, invoices, comment notifications or any other emails that are triggered by an action from your site. Through our existing knowledge of managing large volume email in Newsberry, Postmark provides a more reliable solution to make sure your emails are received. If there are issues with delivery, Postmark gives you the tools to correct the problems and improve.
The service works entirely through a robust API (xml and json), which you can use to replace your existing SMTP code. From the start, we’ll have code samples for many languages (Rails, .NET, etc) to make integration as easy as possible. We’re also looking for help from our readers, so if you have experience with PHP, Java, ColdFusion or want to write plugins for other apps, please email us.
Why is this better than a local mail server?
If you’ve ever built or launched a web application, you know that setting up an SMTP server is pretty easy. The basic steps can have you up in running in minutes. What you may not know, is that doing it correctly is complex. For instance:
- Setting up authentication like SPF and DomainKeys
- The importance of Reverse DNS
- Managing connection and message rules for each ISP
- Applying for ISP whitelisting and feedback loops
- Accreditation with ISIPP and ReturnPath
- Tracking bounces and spam complaints
- Understanding volume over time
The list is longer, but hopefully you get the point. With Postmark, we bring these benefits directly to your application so those important emails get to your customers or members. If delivery problems arise, you’ll know right away.
When will it be ready?
We’re in the final stages of launching our private beta. The beta will be available to a small group, then opened up more as we learn and tune the product. If you are interested, please sign up for the beta.