Custom sending domain and SMTP server
Send RandomCoffee emails from your own domain by adding the DNS records, or through your own SMTP server.
By default, all RandomCoffee emails are sent with:
- the sender name “RandomCoffee”;
- the sender email
juliette@random-coffee.com.
You can send them from your own domain instead, so members receive emails from your sender name and email address. There are two ways to do it: add a custom sending domain (the usual way), or send through your own SMTP server.
Add your own sending domain
With your own sending domain, you define the “from” address and name of your programs (the same address is used as “reply-to”).
You need access to your domain’s DNS settings. If you do not have it, ask your IT team, or share the DNS records with them (see step 5).
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Open the sending domains.
Go to “Settings” > “Sending Domains” and click “Add Sending Domain”.
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Enter your domain.
In “Sending domain”, enter a subdomain (for example,
mail.example.com) or your root domain (example.com).If you enter a root domain, choose how to send:
- “Let us generate a subdomain for you (recommended)”: RandomCoffee creates a unique subdomain starting with
rcon your domain. - “Choose my own subdomain”: enter the subdomain label (prefilled with
email). - “Use the root domain (advanced)”: emails are sent from your root domain.
If you send from your root domain, you must merge RandomCoffee into your existing SPF record (a domain can only have one), and you must not add the MX records, or your regular email will break. Prefer a subdomain unless you know what you are doing.
Click “OK”. Your domain appears in the list with an “Unverified” tag.
- “Let us generate a subdomain for you (recommended)”: RandomCoffee creates a unique subdomain starting with
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Open the domain settings.
Expand “Domain Settings” under your domain. It has four tabs:
- “Authentication”: the DNS records that allow RandomCoffee to sign and send emails for your domain. Two MX records (only for a subdomain), an SPF record (TXT) and a DKIM record (TXT).
- “Link Tracking”: a CNAME record, needed to track opens, clicks and unsubscribes.
- The from addresses tab: the sender identities used as “from” and “reply-to” addresses.
- “Mail Servers”: the servers that send your emails.
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Add the DNS records.
In your account at your domain provider, open the DNS settings and add the records shown in the “Authentication” and “Link Tracking” tabs. Use the copy button next to each value.
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Share the records if someone else manages your DNS (optional).
Click “Actions”, then:
- “Share” creates a link for whoever manages your DNS. The link shows only the DNS records to add, opens without a RandomCoffee account and stops working on the date you choose (1 to 90 days, 7 by default). The page includes a “Verify” button once the records are in place. You can stop every shared link with “Revoke all links”.
- “Print” opens a printable page with the configuration.
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Add your sender addresses.
In the from addresses tab, add as many sender identities as you need, each with a display name and an email address on your domain. Click “Save”.
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Choose the mail servers.
In the “Mail Servers” tab, emails are sent over a shared IP pool by default (“Shared IP Pool - Default”). For high volumes, you can send over dedicated IPs: click “Contact our sales”.
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Verify your domain.
Once the DNS records are in place, click “Actions” > “Verify”. The tag changes to “Verified”.
DNS changes can take some time to apply. If verification fails, wait and click “Verify” again.
Choose your sender
At the top of the “Sending Domains” page, “Team principal sender domain” sets the default sender of your workspace. Only the addresses of verified domains can be selected. Choosing a custom sender is not available on the Free plan.
Admins can also select a sender for each program when they personalize the program emails.
Use your own SMTP server
By default, RandomCoffee takes care of your email delivery. You can also send emails through your own SMTP server.
A custom SMTP server is available on the Enterprise plan and is set up by our support team. To request it, contact support@random-coffee.com.
Prepare the following details for our team:
| Detail | Example |
|---|---|
| SMTP server address | smtp.example.com |
| Port | 25, 587 or 465 |
| Authentication | Whether the server requires authentication, and if so the username and password |
| Sender name and sender email | The name and address your emails are sent from |
| TLS | Whether to turn on transport layer security (TLS) |
Once the server is configured, our team can check it by sending a test email.
If your SMTP server has an IP allowlist. When only specific IP addresses can connect to your server, add the RandomCoffee IP addresses to your allowlist before the server is configured. Ask our team for the list of IP addresses for your account region. This list may change as our infrastructure grows.
DNS records. With a custom SMTP server, you do not need to authenticate your domain in RandomCoffee. Check your SMTP provider’s documentation to see whether you still need to add DNS records (such as SPF and DKIM) to your domain.