ActiveCampaign
Email marketing and CRM platform for customer experience automation
Plunk
Self-hosted email platform powered by AWS SES
Plunk lets developers send transactional emails, run automations, and broadcast newsletters directly via AWS SES, offering a self-hosted alternative to services like SendGrid.
Overview
Overview
Plunk is a developer‑focused email platform that runs on AWS Simple Email Service (SES). It provides a single API to send transactional messages, define automation workflows, and broadcast newsletters, positioning itself as a self‑hosted alternative to commercial services such as SendGrid, Resend, or Mailgun.
Who it’s for & deployment
Ideal for teams already using AWS or those who want full control over email data. Plunk is distributed as a Docker image (driaug/plunk), enabling quick spin‑up on any container‑compatible host. Detailed deployment instructions are available in the documentation, and the AGPL‑3.0 license ensures the code remains freely modifiable.
Core capabilities
- Transactional Emails – Immediate, API‑driven delivery for order confirmations, password resets, etc.
- Automations – Triggered actions based on user events, such as welcome series or churn prevention.
- Broadcasts – Scalable newsletters and product updates to large audiences with a single request.
All features leverage AWS SES’s deliverability and scalability while keeping the operational stack minimal.
Highlights
Transactional email API integrated with AWS SES
Automation workflows triggered by user actions
Broadcast capability for newsletters and product updates
Docker‑based self‑hosting with simple deployment
Pros
- Leverages AWS SES for high deliverability
- Self‑hosted gives full data control
- Unified API for transactional, automation, broadcast
- Docker image simplifies deployment
Considerations
- Tied to AWS SES pricing and limits
- Requires infrastructure management
- Limited built‑in analytics UI
- AGPL‑3.0 license may affect commercial use
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Fit guide
Great for
- Startups needing cost‑effective email sending
- Developers who prefer self‑hosted solutions
- Teams wanting to avoid third‑party vendor lock‑in
- Applications already on AWS infrastructure
Not ideal when
- Organizations requiring on‑premise email without cloud
- Projects needing advanced email analytics dashboards
- Teams without Docker or AWS SES expertise
- Businesses needing permissive licensing for proprietary extensions
How teams use it
Order confirmation emails
Send reliable transactional messages instantly after purchase, ensuring customers receive receipts.
User onboarding automation
Trigger welcome series based on sign‑up events without external services.
Monthly newsletter distribution
Broadcast updates to thousands of subscribers using a single API call.
Password reset flows
Deliver secure, time‑sensitive reset links directly via AWS SES.
Tech snapshot
TypeScript99%
Shell1%
JavaScript1%
CSS1%
Dockerfile1%
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an AWS account to use Plunk?
Yes, Plunk relies on AWS SES, so an active AWS account with SES permissions is required.
Can Plunk work with email providers other than SES?
Plunk is built specifically for AWS SES; using other providers would require custom integration.
Is there a graphical UI for managing broadcasts?
The core project provides API endpoints; a UI can be built on top or integrated from third‑party tools.
How does Plunk handle scaling for large email volumes?
Scaling is delegated to AWS SES, which manages high‑throughput sending; the Docker container can be replicated as needed.
What are the implications of the AGPL‑3.0 license?
Any modifications that are deployed over a network must be made available under the same license, which may affect proprietary use.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 4,804
- Watchers
- 4,804
- Forks
- 301
LicenseAGPL-3.0
Repo age1 year old
Last commit19 hours ago
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languageTypeScript
Last synced 2 hours ago