How to send email using SNS

AwsHow-ToBeginner · 4 min read

How to Send Email Using AWS SNS: Simple Guide

To send an email using AWS SNS, create an SNS topic, subscribe an email endpoint to it, and then publish a message to that topic. The subscribed email will receive the message as a notification.

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Syntax

Here is the basic syntax to send an email using AWS SNS:

CreateTopic: Make a new SNS topic to group messages.
Subscribe: Add an email address as a subscriber to the topic.
Publish: Send a message to the topic, which SNS forwards to all subscribers.

python

import boto3

sns = boto3.client('sns')

# Create a topic
response = sns.create_topic(Name='MyEmailTopic')
topic_arn = response['TopicArn']

# Subscribe an email address
sns.subscribe(TopicArn=topic_arn, Protocol='email', Endpoint='example@example.com')

# Publish a message
sns.publish(TopicArn=topic_arn, Message='Hello from SNS email!')

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Example

This example shows how to create an SNS topic, subscribe an email, and send a message. The email owner must confirm the subscription by clicking a link in the confirmation email before receiving messages.

python

import boto3
import time

sns = boto3.client('sns')

# Step 1: Create a topic
response = sns.create_topic(Name='MyEmailTopic')
topic_arn = response['TopicArn']
print(f'Topic ARN: {topic_arn}')

# Step 2: Subscribe an email address
email_address = 'your-email@example.com'
subscribe_response = sns.subscribe(
    TopicArn=topic_arn,
    Protocol='email',
    Endpoint=email_address
)
subscription_arn = subscribe_response['SubscriptionArn']
print(f'Subscription ARN (pending confirmation): {subscription_arn}')

print('Please check your email and confirm the subscription.')

# Wait for user to confirm subscription
input('Press Enter after confirming subscription...')

# Step 3: Publish a message
publish_response = sns.publish(
    TopicArn=topic_arn,
    Message='This is a test email sent via AWS SNS!'
)
print('Message published. Message ID:', publish_response['MessageId'])

Output

Topic ARN: arn:aws:sns:us-east-1:123456789012:MyEmailTopic Subscription ARN (pending confirmation): pending confirmation Please check your email and confirm the subscription. Message published. Message ID: 1234abcd-56ef-78gh-90ij-klmnopqrstuv

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Common Pitfalls

Not confirming subscription: The email recipient must click the confirmation link sent by SNS, or they won't receive messages.
Using wrong protocol: Use email or email-json as protocol for email subscriptions.
Publishing before confirmation: Messages sent before subscription confirmation are not delivered.
Missing permissions: Ensure your AWS credentials have SNS publish and subscribe permissions.

python

import boto3

sns = boto3.client('sns')

# Wrong protocol example (will not send email)
sns.subscribe(TopicArn='arn:aws:sns:region:account-id:topic', Protocol='sms', Endpoint='1234567890')

# Correct protocol example
sns.subscribe(TopicArn='arn:aws:sns:region:account-id:topic', Protocol='email', Endpoint='example@example.com')

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Quick Reference

Remember these key steps to send email with SNS:

Create an SNS topic.
Subscribe email addresses with email protocol.
Confirm subscription via email link.
Publish messages to the topic.
Check AWS IAM permissions for SNS actions.

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Key Takeaways

Create an SNS topic and subscribe email addresses using the 'email' protocol.

Recipients must confirm their subscription via the email link before receiving messages.

Publish messages only after subscription confirmation to ensure delivery.

Ensure your AWS credentials have permissions for SNS publish and subscribe actions.

Use the AWS SDK (like boto3 for Python) to automate SNS email sending.