{"id":14481,"date":"2020-11-23T10:07:34","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T10:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/?p=14481"},"modified":"2023-06-20T19:36:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T19:36:31","slug":"from-which-server-are-emails-sent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/from-which-server-are-emails-sent\/","title":{"rendered":"From which server are your emails sent?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’re often asked to provide the IP addresses and domain names of the servers<\/strong> we use to send users’ emails. This question, however, represents a fundamental misunderstanding of how GMass works.<\/p>\n

The Default Setup: Google’s servers<\/h2>\n

Because our Chrome extension works on top of Gmail, by default, your emails are sent from your Gmail or G Suite account, using Google’s servers<\/strong> and, therefore, Google’s IP addresses<\/strong>. What are those IP addresses? Google uses a wide swath of IP addresses to send email, and some of them can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is the default setup when you’re sending campaigns from Gmail, using your logged-in Gmail account as your From address.<\/p>\n

If you’ve set an additional “From” address in Gmail: Either an SMTP server you set or Google’s servers<\/h2>\n

Within Gmail, you can set up additional From addresses<\/a>, such that you can choose the From address<\/strong> from a dropdown in the Compose<\/strong> window. If you set up an additional From address in Gmail’s Settings, you’re sometimes forced to specify the SMTP server through which those emails should be sent, depending on the domain of the address you’re setting up. There is a precise logic Gmail uses to determine whether you need to set your own SMTP server<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It used to be<\/em> that Gmail allowed you to set up an additional From address and still send that email through Google’s servers, but since about 2014, this is no longer allowed. Therefore, if you are sending “from” any other address than your Google account address, your emails might be sent through whatever SMTP server you set in Gmail’s Settings when you set up that additional “From” address.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This SMTP server will be used to send your emails regardless of whether you’re using the standard blue Gmail Send button to send an email to a coworker or the red GMass button to send an email campaign.<\/p>\n

\"send<\/a>
I’m using a From address of ajay.goel@silicomm.com, and in my Gmail settings, I have set mail.silicomm.com as the SMTP server for this From address. Therefore, when using GMass, if I choose to send via “Gmail,” these emails will be sent through mail.silicomm.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you’ve connected an SMTP server to your GMass account<\/h2>\n

GMass allows you to connect a third-party email service, like SendGrid<\/a>, Mailgun<\/a>, or Amazon SES<\/a>, for example, to your account, so that you can send larger email campaigns that circumvent Gmail’s sending limits<\/a>. When you connect an SMTP service to your account, you have the option to send each campaign either through Gmail or the SMTP service<\/strong> you connected. So, when using the GMass button to send campaigns, if you choose the SMTP server that you’ve connected, then the emails will go through that SMTP server and won’t touch Google’s own sending infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Based on this, you might be wondering: What if I’ve set up an additional alias From address where I was forced to set an SMTP server, and I choose that From address in my Compose dropdown, and I’m using the GMass button, but I set GMass to send through the SMTP server I’ve connected to my GMass account? Will the emails go through the SMTP server I’ve set in GMass, or the SMTP server I designated in Gmail’s setting when I set up the From address?<\/em><\/p>\n

\"SMTP<\/a>
This email will go through the SendGrid SMTP server when using the GMass button, regardless of whether the From address is my default Google account or an additional From address that’s been set up in Gmail’s Settings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The answer, as you might guess, is:<\/strong> The emails will go through the SMTP server you’ve connected to GMass<\/strong>. If, however, you’re using the GMass button and you choose the “Gmail” sending option instead of the SMTP server you’ve connected, then the emails will go through Google’s infrastructure but will still send through the SMTP server you set in Gmail’s settings tied to your From address.<\/p>\n

Also… you\u00a0can<\/em> send to different domains\/email providers on a case-by-case basis. For instance, if you notice yahoo.com is blocking emails from your SMTP server, you can instruct GMass to always send to yahoo.com address through Gmail’s servers. Use GMass’s Delivery Routes<\/a> to specify those settings on a domain-by-domain basis.<\/p>\n

Let’s summarize<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
What server is used?<\/em><\/td>\nFrom Address = Google Account<\/span><\/td>\nAdditional From Address Setup in Gmail Settings<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GMass button: Send via “Gmail” in GMass Settings or not specified<\/span><\/td>\nGoogle’s servers<\/td>\nSMTP server in Gmail’s Settings when you configured that From address. If Gmail didn’t make you enter an SMTP server, then Google’s servers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GMass button: Send via “SMTP” in GMass Settings<\/span><\/td>\nThe SMTP server you connected to GMass<\/td>\nThe SMTP server you connected to GMass<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Normal Gmail Send button<\/span><\/td>\nGoogle’s servers<\/td>\nSMTP server in Gmail’s Settings when you configured that From address. If Gmail didn’t make you enter an SMTP server, then Google’s servers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n