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Email Alert Setup Guide

Overview

VitaePro now sends an email alert to andrewgbaillie@hotmail.com whenever someone logs into the application.

Setup Instructions

1. Configure Your Gmail Account

To send emails through Gmail, you need to create an App Password (not your regular Gmail password):

  1. Go to your Google Account: https://myaccount.google.com/
  2. Navigate to Security
  3. Enable 2-Step Verification (if not already enabled)
  4. Go to App Passwords (search for it in the security page)
  5. Create a new app password:
    • Select app: Mail
    • Select device: Other (Custom name) → Enter "VitaePro"
  6. Google will generate a 16-character password
  7. Copy this password (you won't be able to see it again)

2. Update Your .env File

Open your .env file and update the email configuration:

# ============ EMAIL ALERTS ============
EMAIL_SERVICE=gmail
EMAIL_USER=your-actual-email@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASSWORD=your-16-character-app-password
ALERT_EMAIL=andrewgbaillie@hotmail.com

Replace:

  • your-actual-email@gmail.com with your Gmail address
  • your-16-character-app-password with the app password you generated

3. Restart the Server

After updating the .env file, restart your server:

npm start

You should see: 📧 Email alerts configured in the console when the server starts.

Testing

  1. Log into your VitaePro application
  2. Check andrewgbaillie@hotmail.com for the alert email
  3. The email will contain:
    • Username
    • User ID
    • Login timestamp
    • Confirmation message

Troubleshooting

Email not configured message

If you see ⚠️ Email alerts not configured, check:

  • EMAIL_USER and EMAIL_PASSWORD are set in .env
  • No extra spaces in the values
  • The .env file is in the root directory

Emails not sending

If configured but emails aren't arriving:

  • Verify the app password is correct
  • Check your Gmail account hasn't blocked the app
  • Look for error messages in the server console
  • Check spam folder in andrewgbaillie@hotmail.com

Alternative Email Providers

If you don't want to use Gmail, you can use other services:

Outlook/Hotmail:

EMAIL_SERVICE=hotmail
EMAIL_USER=your-email@outlook.com
EMAIL_PASSWORD=your-password

Custom SMTP:

EMAIL_SERVICE=
EMAIL_HOST=smtp.example.com
EMAIL_PORT=587
EMAIL_USER=your-email@example.com
EMAIL_PASSWORD=your-password

For custom SMTP, you'll need to modify the nodemailer configuration in server.js.

Security Note

  • Never commit your .env file to version control
  • Keep your app password secure
  • The email is sent asynchronously so it won't slow down logins
  • If email sending fails, the login will still succeed (fail-safe design)