Mailer Problem Resolved
I know that this has been mentioned before, by myself and others, but if you are not getting your email to work on a self-hosted site, then the problem most likely is that you added the SMTP module and have it on and have tried to get it to work. I suspected that in doing this myself, that it was conflicting with UNA's built in mailer which would be a PHP mailer function I believe. Anyways, the way to resolve this is to turn off the SMTP mailer, and then confirmation emails work perfectly. So, do not download the SMTP mailer unless you need it. I believe it only works for remote email accounts you want to send mail from.
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That happened to me once. You can actually download and install the SMTP Mailer module in your system without any problem. Just do not enable it in the settings if you are not going to use it. If you do enable it, then you will need to subscribe to an SMTP mailing service and provide the SMTP username, password, IP address, port, etc. Otherwise, your UNA will not be able to send emails.
If you disable it, even though it is installed, your system will send emails just fine. UNA uses your server's mail function to send emails.
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SMTP Mailer Requirements for UNA CMS
To send emails from UNA CMS using the SMTP Mailer module, two conditions must be met:
1. You must have a functional SMTP service:
- Remote SMTP provider (Mailgun, Gmail, Zoho, SendGrid, etc.)
or
- Local SMTP server installed on your machine (Postfix, Exim, etc.)
2. You must connect using one of these authentication methods:
- Username and password
or
- API key (depending on the SMTP provider)
Indeed, to send emails from UNA CMS using the SMTP Mailer module, you must have a functional SMTP service, either a remote provider such as Mailgun, Gmail, Zoho, etc., or a local SMTP server installed on your machine (Postfix, Exim). SMTP mail is used to connect UNA CMS to this email service, but for the connection to work correctly, the SMTP service must be properly installed, configured, and running (typically on port 587 for secure TLS).
In the UNA SMTP Mailer module, you need to:
- enable the mailer,
- choose whether authentication is required,
- provide the SMTP username and password (e.g.,
contact@example.com) or an API key, - set the SMTP server address (e.g.,
smtp.example.com), or localhost if the service its local - choose the correct port (25, 465, or 587),
- enable TLS, or SSL
- optionally allow self-signed certificates,
- define the “From” name (e.g., Your Site Name!),
- configure test mode if needed.
For reliable email delivery, you must also configure the necessary DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). The SMTP Mailer module itself does not send emails; it only acts as a bridge between UNA CMS and your actual SMTP server.
Diagram
+-----------------------+ | UNA CMS | +-----------+-----------+ | | SMTP settings v +-----------------------+ | SMTP Mailer Bridge | | (username/password or | | API key) | +-----------+-----------+ | | Connects via SMTP v +------------------------------------------------+ | SMTP SERVER | | (local or remote) | | (Mailgun / Gmail / Zoho / Postfix / Exim) | +-----------+----------------+-------------------+ | | | Uses DNS | Sends Email v v +------------------+ +------------------------+ | DNS Records | | Email Recipient | | SPF / DKIM / |---->| (Inbox / Mail App) | | DMARC | +------------------------+ +------------------+ -
I tried all of that, however when I turned SMTP off, then UNA started sending confirmation emails and other emails, on its own, in the same way Wordpress does. I think my host wants PHP mail instead of the STMP app method. I assume UNA's default mailer is PHP mail? All of my DNS records looked correct, and my email box works with my domain, hence I suppose the host wanted to see something specific in terms of a site emailer? I still gives me a headache to think about it, but I have things working now and if anyone has this same problem then try to use the UNA built in emailer.
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"I assume UNA's default mailer is PHP mail?" YES
As email volume and requirements grow, UNA CMS can scale by using one of the following approaches:
- Built-in UNA CMS PHP mail service – suitable for testing, development, or low-volume traffic.
- External mail server – the CMS connects via authenticated SMTP to a reliable mail server for medium-volume traffic.
- Dedicated SMTP service from a provider – for high-volume or critical emails, a scalable SMTP service ensures optimal deliverability, reputation management, and reliability.
- Alternatively, if your organization has the expertise, it can build and manage its own SMTP infrastructure to fully control email delivery, scalability, and monitoring.
An SMTP server is straightforward to use, and its main advantage is that it connects directly to your email service. It works very well as long as it is installed and configured correctly. For critical or high-volume emails, an external SMTP server is safer and more efficient than sending directly from your CMS server, as almost any mail provider offers SMTP functionality. However, for true scalability, a dedicated SMTP service is required. The built-in mail service in UNA CMS is intended primarily for testing environments, development, or low-volume email traffic, as its capacity depends on the server’s infrastructure and resources you have.