Mail Panda
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Getting Started

Getting Started

Install and configure Mail Panda in minutes

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed on your machine:

  • Node.js 18+ — required runtime for Next.js
  • npm, yarn, or pnpm — any package manager will work
  • Git — to clone the repository

Installation

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

bash
git clone https://github.com/mailpanda/mailpanda.git
cd mailpanda
npm install

If you prefer yarn or pnpm, substitute the install command accordingly:

bash
yarn install\n# or\npnpm install

Configuration

Copy the example environment file and configure it for your setup. The platform works out of the box with its built-in SMTP server, but you can also connect to Resend for production-grade delivery.

Environment Variables

Create a .env.local file in the project root:

.env.local
# Optional: Resend API key for production email delivery
# Leave empty to use the built-in SMTP server
RESEND_API_KEY=re_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

# Optional: Base URL for tracking links and webhooks
NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000

If no RESEND_API_KEY is provided, the platform will use the built-in SMTP server to send emails directly. This is ideal for development and self-hosted deployments.

Running the App

Start the development server:

bash
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser. The database (SQLite) is created automatically on first run — no separate database setup is required.

For production builds:

bash
npm run build
npm run start

Default Credentials

For self-hosted installations, a default admin account is created automatically on first launch:

Default Admin (Self-Hosted Only)
Email:    admin@mailpanda.io
Password: password123

Change the default password immediately after your first sign-in. You can also create additional accounts through the sign-up page or the Settings panel.

This seed only runs when no STRIPE_SECRET_KEY is set (self-hosted mode). SaaS deployments use the /signup page instead — no default account is created. See db/seed.ts for the seed logic.

First Email

Once signed in, send your first email in three steps:

  1. Navigate to Compose from the sidebar.
  2. Enter a recipient email address, subject, and body using the rich text editor. You can also select a pre-built template from the template dropdown.
  3. Click Send Email. The email will be delivered through your configured provider (built-in SMTP or Resend).

Check the History page to confirm delivery status and view sent emails.

Authentication