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SMTP to Gmail is unavailable

Posted on June 18, 2025

Hello, I need to send email from my server using Gmail SMTP (smtp.gmail.com:587). Please unblock port 587 for the droplet. Emails will be sent via authenticated SMTP only.



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Hey 👋

Yep, SMTP ports like 587 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

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