# Mailpit for local development

> Learn how to use Mailpit for local development.

*Canonical: https://makerkit.dev/docs/tanstack-prisma/emails/mailpit*

---

{% sequence title="Steps to use Mailpit for local development" description="Learn how to use Mailpit for local development." %}

[What is Mailpit?](#what-is-mailpit)

[Accessing Mailpit](#accessing-mailpit)

[Common Use Cases](#common-use-cases)

[Production Emails](#mailpit-vs-production-emails)

{% /sequence %}

When developing locally, we recommend using [Mailpit](https://mailpit.axllent.org) to capture emails sent during development. This allows you to test email functionality without actually sending emails to real addresses.

## What is Mailpit?

Mailpit is a disposable email service that captures all emails sent during local development. It's particularly useful for testing:

- Email verification flows
- Password reset emails
- Team invitations
- Notification emails
- Any other transactional emails

## Accessing Mailpit

When running the provided Docker compose file, Mailpit is automatically available at:

```bash
http://localhost:8025
```

You can view any captured emails by:

1. Going to [http://localhost:8025](http://localhost:8025)
2. Finding your test email in the list of received messages

## Common Use Cases

### 1. Email Verification

When testing user signup:
1. Create a new account using any email address
2. Go to Mailpit at [http://localhost:8025](http://localhost:8025)
3. Find the verification email
4. Click the verification link or copy the verification code

### 2. Password Reset

To test password reset flows:
1. Request a password reset using any email
2. Check Mailpit for the reset email
3. Use the reset link or code to complete the process

### 3. Team Invitations

When testing team invites:
1. Send an invitation to any email address
2. Check Mailpit for the invitation email
3. Use the invitation link to accept

## Mailpit vs Production Emails

Remember that Mailpit is for development only. In production:

1. Configure a proper email service provider (Resend, SendGrid, etc.)
2. Set up proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM)
3. Use production-grade SMTP settings
4. Monitor email deliverability

## Using a different email provider during local development

If you want to use a different email provider, switch the environment variables at `apps/web/.env.development`:

```bash
EMAIL_SENDER=test@makerkit.dev
EMAIL_PORT=
EMAIL_HOST=
EMAIL_TLS=
EMAIL_USER=
EMAIL_PASSWORD=
```

## Conclusion

Mailpit is a valuable tool for local development, allowing you to:
- Test email flows without sending real emails
- Iterate quickly on email templates
- Debug email-related issues
- Develop with confidence

Remember to switch to a proper email provider when deploying to production!