django-anymail/docs/esps/sendinblue.rst

.. _sendinblue-backend:

Sendinblue
==========

Anymail integrates with the `Sendinblue`_ email service, using their `API v3`_.
Sendinblue's transactional API does not support some basic email features, such as
inline images. Be sure to review the :ref:`limitations <sendinblue-limitations>` below.

.. important::

    **Troubleshooting:**
    If your Sendinblue messages aren't being delivered as expected, be sure to look for
    events in your Sendinblue `logs`_.

    Sendinblue detects certain types of errors only *after* the send API call reports
    the message as "queued." These errors appear in the logging dashboard.

.. _Sendinblue: https://www.sendinblue.com/
.. _API v3: https://developers.sendinblue.com/docs
.. _logs: https://app-smtp.sendinblue.com/log


Settings
--------

.. rubric:: EMAIL_BACKEND

To use Anymail's Sendinblue backend, set:

  .. code-block:: python

      EMAIL_BACKEND = "anymail.backends.sendinblue.EmailBackend"

in your settings.py.


.. setting:: ANYMAIL_SENDINBLUE_API_KEY

.. rubric:: SENDINBLUE_API_KEY

The API key can be retrieved from your Sendinblue `SMTP & API settings`_.
Make sure the version column indicates "v3." (v2 keys don't work with
Anymail. If you don't see a v3 key listed, use "Create a New API Key".)
Required.

  .. code-block:: python

      ANYMAIL = {
          ...
          "SENDINBLUE_API_KEY": "<your v3 API key>",
      }

Anymail will also look for ``SENDINBLUE_API_KEY`` at the
root of the settings file if neither ``ANYMAIL["SENDINBLUE_API_KEY"]``
nor ``ANYMAIL_SENDINBLUE_API_KEY`` is set.

.. _SMTP & API settings: https://account.sendinblue.com/advanced/api


.. setting:: ANYMAIL_SENDINBLUE_API_URL

.. rubric:: SENDINBLUE_API_URL

The base url for calling the Sendinblue API.

The default is ``SENDINBLUE_API_URL = "https://api.sendinblue.com/v3/"``
(It's unlikely you would need to change this.)


.. _sendinblue-esp-extra:

esp_extra support
-----------------

To use Sendinblue features not directly supported by Anymail, you can
set a message's :attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.esp_extra` to
a `dict` that will be merged into the json sent to Sendinblue's
`smtp/email API`_.

Example:

    .. code-block:: python

        message.esp_extra = {
            'hypotheticalFutureSendinblueParam': '2022',  # merged into send params
        }


(You can also set `"esp_extra"` in Anymail's :ref:`global send defaults <send-defaults>`
to apply it to all messages.)

.. _smtp/email API: https://developers.sendinblue.com/v3.0/reference#sendtransacemail


.. _sendinblue-limitations:

Limitations and quirks
----------------------

Sendinblue's v3 API has several limitations. In most cases below,
Anymail will raise an :exc:`~anymail.exceptions.AnymailUnsupportedFeature`
error if you try to send a message using missing features. You can
override this by enabling the :setting:`ANYMAIL_IGNORE_UNSUPPORTED_FEATURES`
setting, and Anymail will try to limit the API request to features
Sendinblue can handle.

**HTML body required**
  Sendinblue's API returns an error if you attempt to send a message with
  only a plain-text body. Be sure to :ref:`include HTML <sending-html>`
  content for your messages if you are not using a template.

  (Sendinblue *does* allow HTML without a plain-text body. This is generally
  not recommended, though, as some email systems treat HTML-only content as a
  spam signal.)

**Inline images**
  Sendinblue's v3 API doesn't support inline images, at all.
  (Confirmed with Sendinblue support Feb 2018.)

  If you are ignoring unsupported features, Anymail will try to send
  inline images as ordinary image attachments.

**Attachment names must be filenames with recognized extensions**
  Sendinblue determines attachment content type by assuming the attachment's
  name is a filename, and examining that filename's extension (e.g., ".jpg").

  Trying to send an attachment without a name, or where the name does not end
  in a supported filename extension, will result in a Sendinblue API error.
  Anymail has no way to communicate an attachment's desired content-type
  to the Sendinblue API if the name is not set correctly.

**Single Reply-To**
  Sendinblue's v3 API only supports a single Reply-To address.

  If you are ignoring unsupported features and have multiple reply addresses,
  Anymail will use only the first one.

**Metadata**
  Anymail passes :attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.metadata` to Sendinblue
  as a JSON-encoded string using their :mailheader:`X-Mailin-custom` email header.
  The metadata is available in tracking webhooks.

**No delayed sending**
  Sendinblue does not support :attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.send_at`.

**No click-tracking or open-tracking options**
  Sendinblue does not provide a way to control open or click tracking for individual
  messages. Anymail's :attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.track_clicks` and
  :attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.track_opens` settings are unsupported.

**No envelope sender overrides**
  Sendinblue does not support overriding :attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.envelope_sender`
  on individual messages.


.. _sendinblue-templates:

Batch sending/merge and ESP templates
-------------------------------------

Sendinblue supports :ref:`ESP stored templates <esp-stored-templates>` populated with
global merge data for all recipients, but does not offer :ref:`batch sending <batch-send>`
with per-recipient merge data. Anymail's :attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.merge_data`
and :attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.merge_metadata` message attributes are not
supported with the Sendinblue backend, but you can use Anymail's
:attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.merge_global_data` with Sendinblue templates.

Sendinblue supports two different template styles: a `new template language`_
that uses Django template syntax (with ``{{ param.NAME }}`` style substitutions),
and an "old" template language that used percent-delimited ``%NAME%`` style
substitutions. Anymail v7.0 and later require new style templates.

.. versionchanged:: 7.0

    Anymail switched to a Sendinblue API that supports the new template language
    and removes several limitations from the earlier template send API. But the new API
    does not support attachments, and can behave oddly if used with old style templates.

.. caution::

    Anymail v7.0 and later work *only* with Sendinblue's *new* template language. You should
    follow Sendinblue's instructions to `convert each old template`_ to the new language.

    Although unconverted old templates may appear to work with Anymail v7.0, some
    features may not work properly. In particular, ``reply_to`` overrides and recipient
    display names are silently ignored when *old* style templates are sent with the
    *new* API used in Anymail v7.0.

To use a Sendinblue template, set the message's
:attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.template_id` to the numeric
Sendinblue template ID, and supply substitution attributes using
the message's :attr:`~anymail.message.AnymailMessage.merge_global_data`:

  .. code-block:: python

      message = EmailMessage(
          to=["alice@example.com"]  # single recipient...
          # ...multiple to emails would all get the same message
          # (and would all see each other's emails in the "to" header)
      )
      message.template_id = 3   # use this Sendinblue template
      message.from_email = None  # to use the template's default sender
      message.merge_global_data = {
          'name': "Alice",
          'order_no': "12345",
          'ship_date': "May 15",
      }

Within your Sendinblue template body and subject, you can refer to merge
variables using Django template syntax, like ``{{ params.order_no }}`` or
``{{ params.ship_date }}`` for the example above.

The message's :class:`from_email <django.core.mail.EmailMessage>` (which defaults to
your :setting:`DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL` setting) will override the template's default sender.
If you want to use the template's sender, be sure to set ``from_email`` to ``None``
*after* creating the message, as shown in the example above.

You can also override the template's subject and reply-to address (but not body)
using standard :class:`~django.core.mail.EmailMessage` attributes.


.. _new template language:
    https://help.sendinblue.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000268730

.. _convert each old template:
    https://help.sendinblue.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000991960


.. _sendinblue-webhooks:

Status tracking webhooks
------------------------

If you are using Anymail's normalized :ref:`status tracking <event-tracking>`, add
the url at Sendinblue's site under  `Transactional > Settings > Webhook`_.

The "URL to call" is:

   :samp:`https://{random}:{random}@{yoursite.example.com}/anymail/sendinblue/tracking/`

     * *random:random* is an :setting:`ANYMAIL_WEBHOOK_SECRET` shared secret
     * *yoursite.example.com* is your Django site

Be sure to select the checkboxes for all the event types you want to receive. (Also make
sure you are in the "Transactional" section of their site; Sendinblue has a separate set
of "Campaign" webhooks, which don't apply to messages sent through Anymail.)

If you are interested in tracking opens, note that Sendinblue has both a "First opening"
and an "Opened" event type, and will generate both the first time a message is opened.
Anymail normalizes both of these events to "opened." To avoid double counting, you should
only enable one of the two.

Sendinblue will report these Anymail :attr:`~anymail.signals.AnymailTrackingEvent.event_type`\s:
queued, rejected, bounced, deferred, delivered, opened (see note above), clicked, complained,
unsubscribed, subscribed (though this should never occur for transactional email).

For events that occur in rapid succession, Sendinblue frequently delivers them out of order.
For example, it's not uncommon to receive a "delivered" event before the corresponding "queued."

The event's :attr:`~anymail.signals.AnymailTrackingEvent.esp_event` field will be
a `dict` of raw webhook data received from Sendinblue.


.. _Transactional > Settings > Webhook: https://app-smtp.sendinblue.com/webhook


.. _sendinblue-inbound:

Inbound webhook
---------------

Sendinblue does not support inbound email handling.