Categories Amazon SES

AWS SES Dos and Don’ts: A Step-by-Step Guide to Error-Free Email Sending

AWS SES setup can feel overwhelming, especially when you have to handle domain verification and SMTP configurations.

Amazon SES packs impressive capabilities. You can send emails through code, connect it with your email servers, and create personalized email templates. The platform’s monitoring system tracks sending quotas and reputation metrics, which adds great value.

Success with AWS SES depends on knowing what works and what doesn’t. Your sender’s reputation relies on proper email authentication methods like DKIM, SPF, and DMARC. You also need to handle bounce notifications and complaints well.

This piece will show you the right way to set up and use AWS SES. You’ll learn AWS SES Dos and Donts and make sure your emails reach their destination reliably.

Getting Started with AWS SES

AWS SES home page

AWS Simple Email Service (SES) and Simple Notification Service (SNS) work differently. At the time of their creation, SES was built to send transactional and marketing emails up to 40MB in size. SNS manages pub/sub messaging, SMS, and push notifications.

The AWS Management Console lets you create an AWS account to start using SES. You’ll get a verification code on your phone after signing up. You’ll also need to prove your domain ownership by adding specific DNS records that AWS provides. This verification usually takes up to 72 hours.

New SES accounts begin in a sandbox environment with these limits:

Production access needs detailed information about your email sending practices. You’ll need to choose between marketing or transactional email types, submit your website URL, and explain how you handle bounced emails.

Your email campaigns’ success depends on understanding sending limits. Production accounts’ sending quota works on a rolling 24-hour period. The system looks at your email volume from the previous 24 hours each time you try to send an email. AWS will reject your request if sending a message goes over your daily maximum.

AWS’s free tier helps manage costs and has 62,000 outbound messages monthly when sending from an EC2 instance. The pay-as-you-go model kicks in after that at $0.10 per 1,000 emails.

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AWS SES Dos and Donts for 2025

Here are the below top do’s and don’ts on while using an aws ses.

Do’s for using AWS SES

Email authentication is the life-blood of successful email delivery through AWS SES. You need to understand these configuration steps to build resilient email security.

Configuring DKIM settings

DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a vital email security standard that verifies email authenticity using public-key cryptography. Amazon SES gives you three ways to implement DKIM:

  • Easy DKIM: Automatically adds a 2048-bit DKIM key to every email
  • BYODKIM: You can use your own public-private key pair
  • Manual DKIM signing: Custom signature addition through SendRawEmail API

Easy DKIM needs DNS modifications for your domain. AWS SES uses 2048-bit RSA encryption by default to improve security. More importantly, DKIM settings apply to all subdomains of the authenticated domain automatically and create a complete security umbrella.

Implementing SPF records

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) stops email spoofing by letting domain owners specify authorized email-sending servers. AWS SES handles SPF implementation differently based on your MAIL FROM domain setup:

SPF authentication works automatically without extra setup for domains using subdomain.amazonses.com. We handled this because Amazon maintains SPF records for the amazonses.com domain.

Custom domains need a new SPF record with: v=spf1 include:amazonses.com -all

You should insert include:amazonses.com before the terminating mechanism if you already have an SPF record. This setup will give a proper email authentication while you retain your domain’s sending reputation.

DKIM and SPF authentication together give you two benefits:

  • Your emails are more likely to reach the inbox
  • The ‘Via amazonses.com’ warning disappears, which builds brand credibility

You need proactive monitoring and quick action against potential issues to keep a healthy sender reputation. We focused on handling bounces, managed complaints, and set up proper error alerts.

Bounce handling best practices

AWS SES automatically tracks bounce rates. High rates beyond certain thresholds can trigger account reviews or sending pauses. The recommended bounce rate thresholds are:

A bounce monitoring system through Amazon SNS notifications becomes crucial. Your system should automatically pause email sending when bounce rates go beyond predefined thresholds.

Managing complaint notifications

Complaint rates need careful attention. AWS recommends keeping complaint rates under 0.1%. Accounts face potential suspension at 0.5%. Amazon SNS notifications help track these metrics effectively.

Your system should handle complaints this way:

  1. Remove complained email addresses from your mailing list immediately
  2. Analyze complaint patterns for sending practice improvements
  3. Implement double opt-in strategies for new subscribers

Setting up error alerts

CloudWatch alarms protect you against reputation issues first. Your error alert configuration should monitor:

  • Message rejection errors
  • Throttling issues
  • Authentication failures
  • Daily quota exceeded notifications

AWS’s suppression list feature works best without doubt. It stops emails to addresses that bounced or complained earlier, without throwing errors. Lambda functions connected to your SNS topics can automatically update the suppression list based on bounce and complaint reports to boost security.

Don’t for using AWS SES:

Don’t Send Emails Without Proper Authentication –

Always set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to avoid emails landing in spam or getting blocked.

Don’t Exceed Sending Limits –

AWS SES imposes strict sending limits, especially in sandbox mode. Avoid sending more than the allowed quota to prevent suspension.

Don’t Ignore Bounce and Complaint Handling –

Failing to monitor and act on bounce and complaint reports can harm your sender reputation and lead to account restrictions.

Don’t Use AWS SES for Cold Outreach Without Proper Warming –

If you’re using AWS SES for cold emails, warm up your domain and ensure high engagement to prevent deliverability issues.

Don’t Use Misleading Subject Lines –

Deceptive email subjects can lead to high spam complaints and damage your domain reputation.

Wrap Up

Your success with AWS SES email delivery relies on the right setup, authentication, and monitoring. You need proper security measures like DKIM and SPF to protect your sender reputation and ensure reliable delivery.

Low bounce rates and complaint levels need constant alertness. We suggest you set up automated monitoring systems through SNS notifications and CloudWatch alarms. These tools detect potential problems before they affect your ability to send emails.

AWS SES Connect provides an efficient way to manage your email infrastructure’s critical elements. The platform naturally handles authentication, monitoring, and error management.

Your sender reputation affects email deliverability directly. By doing this and regularly checking your metrics, you’ll maintain high delivery rates and a healthy AWS SES account. These practices will help your email campaigns perform better when you start using them today.

FAQ

What are the limitations of Amazon SES sandbox?

The sandbox environment acts as a testing ground with strict rules. New accounts can send only 200 messages per 24-hour period with a maximum sending rate of one message per second. You can only send emails to verified email addresses and domains. Neither the primary sender nor delegate sender can reach non-verified email addresses in sandbox mode. Following AWS SES Dos and Donts is crucial to smoothly transition from sandbox mode and ensure high deliverability.

What is the complaint rate for Amazon SES?

AWS monitors complaint rates closely. Your account goes under review when complaint rates reach 0.1%. The situation becomes serious if complaint rates go above 0.5%. AWS might stop your email-sending abilities until you fix the problems. They calculate this by dividing spam reports by total emails sent and multiply it by 100.

What is the use of SES in AWS?

SES is an affordable email platform that handles different types of email communications. The service supports:

  • Marketing communications like special offers
  • Transactional emails including order confirmations
  • Newsletter distribution and customer correspondence
  • Email autoresponders and unsubscribe systems
  • Customer support ticket generation from incoming emails