How to request or enable SMTP access on a DigitalOcean Ubuntu droplet for transactional emails

Posted on January 29, 2026

Hello Guys,

I am running an Ubuntu-based droplet on DigitalOcean and have deployed a web application called Pinggo on it.

My application requires outbound email functionality for transactional purposes only, such as:

User email verification
Password reset emails
Account/profile-related notifications

These emails are strictly triggered by user actions. The application does not send marketing, bulk, or unsolicited emails.

Currently, outbound SMTP ports appear to be restricted on my droplet, and I would like guidance on the correct process to enable SMTP access (for example, ports 587 or 465), or best practices recommended by DigitalOcean for handling transactional emails.

Details:

OS: Ubuntu (latest LTS)
Hosting: DigitalOcean Droplet
Email usage: Transactional only (verification, password reset, etc.)
Compliance: Will fully comply with DigitalOcean’s Acceptable Use Policy and anti-spam requirements

I would appreciate advice on:

Whether SMTP access can be enabled directly on the droplet
If a support request is required, what details DigitalOcean typically expects
Any recommended alternatives (such as relay services) that align with DigitalOcean policies

Thank you in advance for your help.

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Bobby

January 29, 2026

Hey 👋

Yep, default SMTP ports like 25 are blocked by default on new accounts to prevent abuse. Even though you’re using authenticated Gmail SMTP, the block still applies.

https://docs.digitalocean.com/support/why-is-smtp-blocked/

Your best bet is to either:

Reach out to DigitalOcean support and ask if they can review your account and unblock it (they don’t always do it, but worth a try),
Or use a service like SendGrid, Mailgun, or Postmark, much better for deliverability anyway. They allow SMTP over API, which is a good workaround and better for performance too.

Some SMTP providers also support alternative ports like 2525, so you might want to check if Gmail does (last I checked, it doesn’t, but maybe worth double-checking).

Let me know how it goes!

- Bobby