Integrations
Business Email Integrations: Choosing Outlook IMAP or a Sending API
Understand when to use IMAP and SMTP for a person's mailbox and when an application should use the sending API.
Choose IMAP in Outlook
To read and reply from Outlook, choose IMAP during account setup. Enter the IMAP incoming server and SMTP outgoing server separately, using the full email address as the username. POP downloads mail to one device and is not recommended when webmail and multiple devices must stay in sync.
SMTP uses the same mailbox credentials
The outgoing server also uses the full email address and mailbox password. Copy the port and security mode shown on the OfficialMail integration page. A wrong host, port, or encryption mode can allow receiving while outgoing mail still fails.
Use the sending API for application notifications
For registration, password reset, and order-completion messages sent by a server, use the sending API rather than IMAP. Store API keys in server environment variables, never browser code or a public repository. Save the returned messageId to query delivery status and failures later.
Separate human accounts from system keys
Sharing one credential between Outlook users and a store server makes offboarding, rotation, and incident response difficult. Create keys by purpose, apply least privilege and IP restrictions, and keep mailbox sign-in independent from API key revocation.
Start with OfficialMail
Start operating with one official primary mailbox.
Use one primary mailbox as your company's official address and review every domain-connection value directly in the mailbox.