Are there email sending issues with AWS?

Key findings

• Regional outages: Specific AWS regions, such as US-East-1, have experienced widespread outages impacting various services, including email sending. These outages can affect console access, service functionality, and even underlying monitoring systems.
• SES deferrals: During service disruptions, inbound emails to SES may experience deferrals, indicating temporary issues in processing or delivering messages.
• Login problems: Separate from service outages, users have reported issues logging into the AWS dashboard, sometimes due to client-side rendering problems with HTML or direct platform issues. Even if you have instances in multiple locations, a login issue in one region can prevent dashboard access.
• Unverified identities: A common cause of email sending failure on AWS SES is attempting to send from an email address or domain that has not been verified in the SES console.
• Port 25 restrictions: AWS imposes email-sending limitations on EC2 instances, particularly on port 25, which is widely used for SMTP. New instances often have this port restricted to prevent abuse.

Key considerations

• Monitor AWS status: Always check the AWS Service Health Dashboard for real-time information on ongoing outages or performance issues in specific regions. This is your first step when noticing unusual sending behavior.
• Verify email identities: Ensure that all sending email addresses and domains are properly verified in your AWS SES console, matching the region used for API calls or configurations.
• Review sending limits: Be aware that new AWS SES accounts are often in sandbox mode, which restricts sending to only verified email addresses and domains. You may need to request production access to increase sending limits and remove these restrictions.
• Check DNS records: Proper configuration of DNS records, especially SPF and DKIM, is essential for email authentication and deliverability. Issues can arise from incorrect or incomplete DNS settings, leading to emails failing authentication checks. You should also consider implementing DMARC monitoring to gain visibility into your email authentication performance.

Key opinions

• Widespread impact: Many marketers quickly observe that email sending issues with AWS are not isolated incidents but often part of a broader AWS service disruption, particularly in specific regions. This indicates that problems usually stem from the platform's infrastructure rather than individual sender errors.
• Service interdependencies: Marketers note that when AWS experiences issues, it affects not just email services like SES but also other critical components. This means a seemingly small problem can cascade into widespread disruption for various business operations reliant on AWS.
• Lack of specific alerts: Users sometimes report that while emails might not be going out, there aren't immediate alarms or clear notifications from AWS indicating the specific cause, making troubleshooting more difficult.
• Verification is key: A common point of failure for new or reconfigured setups is the lack of verified sending email addresses or domains within AWS SES. Without this fundamental step, emails simply will not be sent.

Key considerations

• Stay informed during outages: If a broad AWS outage occurs, refer to official AWS status pages and reliable news sources like CNBC to understand the scope and estimated resolution time. This can help manage expectations for email delivery.
• Proactive identity verification: Before initiating any significant email sending, marketers must ensure that all email addresses and domains intended for use with SES are verified in the correct AWS region. This is a critical step that is often overlooked and leads to immediate sending failures.
• Understand sandbox mode: If you are using a new AWS SES account, understand that it will be in sandbox mode by default. This limits who you can send emails to (only verified identities). You must request to move out of sandbox mode to send to unverified recipients.
• Review log files for deferrals: Regularly check your SES sending logs and metrics for deferrals or bounces. These can provide early warnings of issues, whether they are related to internal AWS problems or recipient-side challenges, such as full inboxes or transient server issues. This is also important for understanding any slow email delivery issues.

Key opinions

• Broader outage scope: Experts confirm that specific regional outages, like those in US-East-1, can indeed affect various AWS services beyond just email, including monitoring systems, which complicates identifying the precise root cause.
• Login bug versus platform issue: Some experts differentiate between a login bug (e.g., related to dodgy HTML in the page source with default-src 'none') and a separate, more fundamental platform issue that impacts services directly.
• Home device impact: The ripple effect of AWS outages can extend to consumer-facing services and devices, such as Ring doorbells, baby monitors, and Alexa products, highlighting the extensive reach of AWS infrastructure across various industries.
• SPF and DKIM importance: Experts stress that while AWS SES handles much of the complexity, proper SPF and DKIM configuration for your domain is still critical for authentication and deliverability, as issues can still arise despite careful setup.
• Sender reputation management: Maintaining a good sender reputation within AWS is paramount. Experts advise setting up alarms and avoiding sending to problematic recipients to prevent blacklistings or poor inbox placement. This relates to general domain reputation recovery tactics.

Key considerations

• Differentiate issue types: When troubleshooting, distinguish between a general AWS outage affecting all services (which is usually publicly announced) and a specific email-related issue (like authentication failures or throttling). Knowing the type of problem guides your next steps.
• Comprehensive monitoring: Implement monitoring beyond just send rates. Keep an eye on AWS health dashboards, DMARC reports, and even external news to catch broader infrastructure issues that could indirectly impact email deliverability. This also applies to issues like Outlook email deliverability problems.
• Proactive reputation management: Even with a robust service like SES, sender reputation is vital. Consistently monitor bounce rates, complaint rates, and engagement. Poor reputation can lead to emails being blocked or placed in spam, regardless of the underlying AWS infrastructure. Utilizing Google Postmaster Tools can provide valuable insights.
• Leverage AWS SES features: Utilize features within SES such as bounce notifications, complaint feedback loops, and configuration sets to gain deeper insights into your email performance and troubleshoot specific issues quickly.

Key findings

• Identity verification: AWS SES requires all email addresses or domains used as 'From' or 'Source' identities to be verified. Unverified identities will result in email sending failures. The verification process confirms you own the identity and prevents unauthorized sending.
• Sandbox mode: New AWS SES accounts are placed in a sandbox environment, limiting sending capabilities to verified identities. To send to any email address, a request to move out of the sandbox to production access is required.
• Port 25 blocking: Many ISPs and cloud providers, including AWS, restrict outbound email traffic on port 25 for EC2 instances to combat spam. If you need to send email directly from an EC2 instance, you must either use SES or request to have this restriction removed.
• Delivery delays: Delivery delays can occur due to factors outside of AWS's direct control, such as the recipient's inbox being full or the receiving email server experiencing transient issues. SES provides tools to investigate the status of sent emails.
• DNS configuration for authentication: Proper setup of SPF and DKIM records in your domain's DNS is crucial for email authentication, which impacts how recipient servers trust your emails sent via SES. Incorrect configurations can lead to authentication failures.

Key considerations

• Region matching: AWS SES will not recognize verified identities if the region in your API calls or configuration does not match the region where the identity was verified. Always ensure regional consistency to avoid email sending failures.
• Utilize SES monitoring: AWS provides tools within SES, such as event publishing to CloudWatch or Kinesis Firehose, to monitor sending activity, bounces, complaints, and deliveries. Use these to diagnose issues and maintain sender reputation effectively.
• Address troubleshooting methods: If emails are sent via SES but not received, use SES features like Send Statistics, Email Sending Events (via configuration sets), and the Message ID to trace the email's journey and determine the point of failure. This can reveal if the issue is with connection timeouts or recipient-side problems.
• Comply with sending policies: Adhere strictly to AWS SES sending policies regarding content, recipient consent, and bounce rates. Violations can lead to sending pauses, rate limiting, or account suspension. Managing these aspects helps avoid email blocklistings and ensures consistent deliverability.