How to send an email to php with phpmailer: quick and easy guide

Do you want to send an email with PHP in a professional and safe way? PHPMAILER is one of the most used bookstores to send messages from your site. In this guide we explain how to configure it in a few steps, with examples of working code and practical advice to avoid the most common errors.

You want to send emails from your sitePHPIn a safe, professional and personalized way? PHPMAILER is one of the most effective solutions to do it. In this guide we will show you step by step how to send an email to php with phpmailer, with examples of working code, clear explanations and advice to avoid the most common mistakes. A useful resource for developers, freelancers and those who manage small dynamic sites.

What is phpmailer and why use it

PHPMAILER is an Open Source PHP library that allows you to send emails via SMTP, with HTML support, attachments, authentication and much more. It is considered safer and more flexible than the functionmail()native of PHP.

Advantages of PHPMAILER:

• Compatibility with SMTP servers (such as Gmail, Sendinblue, Mailgun, etc.)
• Support for HTML content and attachments
• Greater control on the structure of the message
• Safe SMTP authentication (TLS, SSL)

Requirements and installation

To use phpmailer, you must first include it in your project. The simplest way is with composer:

composer require phpmailer/phpmailer

If you don't use composers, you can download the library fromOfficial repository on Github.

First example: send a simple email

Here is a basic example to send an email to PHP with phpmailer:

use PHPMailerPHPMailerPHPMailer;
use PHPMailerPHPMailerException;

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

$mail = new PHPMailer(true);

try {
    // Configurazione server SMTP
    $mail->isSMTP();
    $mail->Host = 'smtp.example.com';
    $mail->SMTPAuth = true;
    $mail->Username = 'tuo@email.com';
    $mail->Password = 'tuapassword';
    $mail->SMTPSecure = 'tls';
    $mail->Port = 587;

    // Mittente e destinatario
    $mail->setFrom('tuo@email.com', 'Il tuo nome');
    $mail->addAddress('destinatario@email.com', 'Nome destinatario');

    // Contenuto del messaggio
    $mail->isHTML(true);
    $mail->Subject = 'Oggetto della mail';
    $mail->Body    = 'Questo è il messaggio HTML';
    $mail->AltBody = 'Questo è il messaggio in testo semplice';

    $mail->send();
    echo 'Messaggio inviato con successo';
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Errore nell'invio: {$mail->ErrorInfo}";
}

Tips for professional use

• Protect SMTP credentials: Don't insert username and password directly into the code. Use room variables.
• Valid the user's input: If you use phpmailer for contact modules, always filter and validate the data.
• Manage errors with log: instead of showing errors on the video, write them on log files.
• Check spf and dkim: To improve deliveability, correctly configure these records on your domain.

Alternatives to PHPMAILER

If you want to explore other options, consider:

• Swiftmailer(now deprecated but still in use)
• Symfony Mailer(Recommended forprojectsmodern)
• Sendgrid SDK(for those who use external platforms)

Conclusion

PHPMAILER is an essential tool for those who develop with PHP and want to manage the sending of emails in a safe, flexible and professional way. Whether you are building a contact form, a notification system or a newsletter, this library can make a difference. Follow the guide, adapt the code to your project and immediately improve the email communication of your site.

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