This topic explains how to configure an email SMTP server to work with [Optimizely Digital Experience Platform](🔗). For Optimizely to send out email notifications, configure your email server with a server endpoint that is reachable from the site, and can send emails using a specified from-address. 

DXP provides access to a cloud-based email service for automated sending of transactional emails for website communication. This configuration is not automatically applied by Optimizely through the standard configuration transforms, so add this manually.

## Email service account

To get an SMTP user setup, go to the DXP project in the [management portal](🔗). Under the API tab, there is an option to generate an API key for SendGrid. This API key, together with username and hostname, should be used to populate the _\<smtp>_ section in _web.config_; see the **Adding the SMTP email configuration** section. After generating a new key, save it because you can see it only directly after creation.

## Add the SMTP email configuration

Add the following section to the _web.config_ of your website; **userName** and **Password** is generated through the [management portal](🔗). See also:  [Authentication (SendGrid article).](🔗)

## DNS configuration

To send emails from a custom domain, you should configure a Sender Policy Framework (SPF), which is a type of Domain Name Service (DNS) record that identifies mail servers that are permitted to send emails on behalf of your domain.** Contact Optimizely with the sending domain to assist you with configuration and activating Sender Authentication**

If you want to use SendGrid to send mail from your domain, add an SPF record to your  DNS zones as shown in the following examples.

**Single entry**

`domain.com TXT v=spf1 include:sendgrid.net -all`

**Multiple entries**

`domain.com TXT v=spf1 include:sendgrid.net include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all`