Vaultwarden SMTP setup with Pharos

Send Vaultwarden's invitations and alerts through Pharos: SMTP_HOST smtp.pharosinfra.net, port 587, SMTP_SECURITY starttls. Tested settings.

Settings

SMTP_HOST smtp.pharosinfra.net

SMTP_PORT 587 2525 also works, and is the one to use on DigitalOcean.

SMTP_SECURITY starttls Not force_tls, which is implicit TLS and fails on this port.

SMTP_USERNAME from the dashboard The generated SMTP username, not your account email.

SMTP_PASSWORD from the dashboard

SMTP_FROM vault@yourdomain.com An address on your verified sending domain.

SMTP_FROM_NAME Vaultwarden Optional. The display name on outgoing mail.

Vaultwarden container environmentdocker-compose.yml

services:
  vaultwarden:
    image: vaultwarden/server:latest
    environment:
      DOMAIN: https://vault.yourdomain.com
      SMTP_HOST: smtp.pharosinfra.net
      SMTP_PORT: 587
      SMTP_SECURITY: starttls
      SMTP_USERNAME: ${PHAROS_SMTP_USER}
      SMTP_PASSWORD: ${PHAROS_SMTP_PASS}
      SMTP_FROM: vault@yourdomain.com
      SMTP_FROM_NAME: Vaultwarden
    volumes:
      - ./vw-data:/data

Send a test email

Vaultwarden has a test button in its admin panel, which is turned on by setting ADMIN_TOKEN.

Restart the container after changing the settings.
Open /admin on your Vaultwarden URL and sign in with the admin token.
Under SMTP Email Settings, enter an address in Test SMTP and choose Send test email.

A failure shows in the panel and in docker logs <vaultwarden-container> as a line starting with SMTP error:.

Settings in the admin panel

Anything you save in /admin is written to config.json in the data volume and overrides the environment variables. If the environment looks right but Vaultwarden behaves as if it is not, check the admin panel for an older saved value.

Questions

Do I need SMTP for Vaultwarden at all?

Not to run it, but without SMTP there are no invitations, no email two-factor codes, no new-device login alerts and no emergency access. Most single-user installs still want the new-device alerts.

Will the free plan cover a family or small team?

Almost certainly. Vaultwarden sends mail only on events: an invitation, a login from a new device, a two-factor code. The free plan's 100 a day is far above what a household or a small team generates.