by

Fast, flexible & efficient

email delivery software
Built on top of industry-standard AMQP message broker. Send millions of
emails per hour.

Why MailerQ?
No Cloud

Fast

Flexible

Many email solutions require you to

MailerQ is fast. Its sole purpose is to

MailerQ gives you full control over

send your customer data to third

send emails. Storing, queuing and

queued messages. Monitor email

parties. Keep your data secure on

prioritizing messages is done in a

delivery and intervene when necessary.

your own servers with MailerQ.

separate AMQP message broker.

Prioritizing and routing messages has

It is just as easy to integrate.

never been easier.

Download & install on your server

Questions? Call us

www.mailerq.com

+31 20 520 61 90

What is MailerQ?

What is RabbitMQ?
RabbitMQ is open source AMQP message queue software. It allows you
to easily create reliable first-in-first-out message queues. MailerQ is built
on top of RabbitMQ and uses RabbitMQ to store and prioritize messages.
MailerQ focuses solely on the sending process.

MailerQ is a high performance Mail Transfer Agent (MTA)

and is designed to deliver large volumes of email messages
at very high speeds. It uses RabbitMQ, the industry standard
AMQP message software, to queue its messages. MailerQ
offers maximum flexibility without compromising on stability

Download the latest version of RabbitMQ at www.rabbitmq.com.

RabbitMQ can be installed on both Linux and Windows servers.

or performance.
How MailerQ works

Installing MailerQ

MailerQ has one goal: fast and reliable email delivery, but how

Installing the MTA on your server is easy: download MailerQ

does it work? You install the software on your own servers.

for Debian, Ubuntu or Red Hat based systems and install it

MailerQ connects to your RabbitMQ server and retrieves

either by double-clicking on the file, or with one of the

messages from the RabbitMQ queue. Every message

following commands.

retrieved from the queue is sent through SMTP. MailerQ

adjusts its send speed to the capacity of the receiving mail
server.

Red Hat

$ sudo rpm -i /path/to/mailerq-version.rpm

Debian

$ sudo dpkg -i /path/to/mailerq-version.deb

Sending emails with MailerQ

Your
application

Consume
JSON message

Outbox
queue

Send email by SMTP

Internet

Add to
outbox queue

JSON
encoded email
Figure 1: Post your messages directly to RabbitMQ

JSON
"id": "1"
"envelope": "my-sender-address@my-domain.com",
"recipient": "info@example.org",
"custom-property-name": " debug data that will be
visible only in RabbitMQ message",
"generated": "2015-01-01 00:00:00",
"key": "message-store-key-where-body-can-be-found"
"maxdelivertime": "2015-01-01 01:00:00",
"maxattempts": 6,
"ips": ["231.34.13.156", "231.34.13.158"],

All messages in the RabbitMQ message queue are coded in

JSON. The JSON input for every message consists of at least

the envelope address, recipient, and the email body in MIME.
Other properties can be added for additional delivery
settings.

3 ways to get messages into RabbitMQ

1. Post directly to RabbitMQ

2. Use MailerQ's built-in SMTP server

3. Run MailerQ as command line utility

Publish a JSON encoded message

Configure your servers and/or software

Start MailerQ as a command line utility

directly into RabbitMQ's outbox queue.

to use MailerQ as SMTP server. MailerQ

(like Postfix or Sendmail). MailerQ reads

MailerQ reads the message from the

opens an SMTP port and messages sent

messages from standard input, converts

queue and sends the email through

to the port are automatically added

them into JSON and publishes them to

SMTP. (See figure 1)

to the queue. MailerQ reads from this

RabbitMQ.

queue and delivers the email.

Chaining and clustering

MailerQ instances can be connected in two different ways:

MailerQ instances can also be clustered. Clustered MailerQ

chaining and clustering. When MailerQ instances are placed in

instances communicate through a shared message queue. This

sequence (chaining), messages are sent from one instance to

way each MailerQ instance knows exactly what other instan-

another through SMTP. Messages can be filtered and modified

ces are active. If a message cannot be sent by one MailerQ

by adding your own scripts for example, to verify if an email

instance (for example, because the desired IP address is not

gets through spam filters, or to check if an email contains

available on the server), MailerQ will automatically pass the

viruses. (See figure 2)

message on to an instance that can send it.

by SMTP

Internet

Inbox queue

Your script

Outbox queue

Inbox queue

Your script

Outbox queue

Figure 2: MailerQ instances placed in sequence (chaining)

MailerQ configuration
Many things can be configured in MailerQ:
Domains

MySQL

PostgreSQL

Deliveries
IP addresses
DKIM keys
And more...

SQLite

This configuration is stored in a relational database. Your own

minutes and picks up changes automatically. Using a database

applications may access this database and read or update its

is optional. MailerQ can also run without connecting to a

data. MailerQ reloads its entire configuration every few

relational database.

Improve your deliverability with MailerQ

MailerQ delivers email, anywhere and anytime. To Gmail, to

All you have to do is update the settings in the database, use

Hotmail, and to remote servers anywhere in the world.

the MailerQ management console, add the delivery properties

You can configure MailerQ's delivery settings on a global, IP,

to the JSON, or meta fields to the MIME header.

domain, and even individual message level.

Automatic retries

Domain limits

DKIM support

15
DKIM

MailerQ returns messages that cannot

Some mail servers limit the number of

MailerQ supports DKIM. Store your

be delivered to RabbitMQ. Here they

connections or deliveries from a single

private keys in the database or add

are stored in temporary queues and are

IP address. You can specify from which

them using the MailerQ management

retried automatically. The interval

IP addresses an email can be sent. If the

console.

between retries increases with every

first IP address is unavailable, MailerQ

retry. This process continues until the

will automatically send your email from

email is delivered. Configure retries

the first available IP address. You can

yourself and set a retry limit, maximum

also configure MailerQ to send the email

delivery time, or the retry interval.

from specific IP addresses.

MailerQ
management console

Deliverability in the management console

MailerQ comes with a web-based management console,

For example: set MailerQ to temporarily pause sending to

where you adjust deliverability settings on the go. Monitor

domains that give the response 'connection rate limit

real-time performance of your IP addresses, reroute emails to

exceeded' and slowly build up connections after the pause.

other IP addresses or set up flood patterns to react to server

responses. Adjust these settings, and more in your browser.

Live monitoring and logging

One of the cool features of the MailerQ management console

Per domain performance

is its live SMTP monitor. A HTML WebSocket connects to the

Zoom in on a single IP address to get a detailed picture of

core MailerQ process. SMTP traffic received and set by Mail-

their global and per domain performance or check the overall

erQ is sent to this WebSocket. Keep an eye on everything that

performance of your IP addresses on a single domain. This is

is happening from your browser window.

updated in real-time, making it easy to instantly adjust

settings to improve deliverability where needed.

MailerQ stores all details of send attempts in its log files. If

an attempt fails the logs show exactly what happened. For

Email throttling

example 'wrongaddress@example.org' does not exist, or

MailerQ limits the amount of attempts, connections and the

'mailbox unavailable'.

amount of messages over a

single SMTP connection to
specific domains. All settings
can be adjusted on the fly in

"The management console allows you to

adjust deliverability settings on the go"

the management console.

There is no need to set up throttling for example, hotmail.com,
live.com as well as outlook.com. MailerQ recognizes domains
that use the same mail servers and groups them automatically.
Flood patterns
Set up MailerQ to respond to specific errors from receiving
mail servers. These flood patterns will automatically react
to these responses and overrule the default email throttling
settings.

Use your own scripts to easily

handle results and notify you
when an error persists.

Processing results
All results are published back to RabbitMQ queues. Your
application can retrieve messages from these queues and
process the results.
The result queues
MailerQ publishes JSON encoded messages to the RabbitMQ

MailerQ has four different result queues:

result queues. The JSON output holds the same properties

as the original message, making them easily recognizable for
processing by your scripts and programs.

Results

Failed

Success

Retry

These queues can be turned on or off and customized.

Consume
JSON message

Outbox
queue

Internet
Add result to JSON

Retry

Retry
queue

Send email

If greylisted

Success
queue

Failed
queue

All results
queue

Retry queues

Success and failed queues

Results queue

This queue stores transient results for

These queues are used for the messages

This queue is used by MailerQ to publish

all deliveries that have not yet failed

that are delivered successfully or failed

all results, both successful deliveries and

or succeeded. These messages will be

completely and receive a subset of the

failures.

retried.

message published in the results queue.

Benefits of the retry queue

MailerQ moves messages that will be retried back into

through MailerQ constantly. These queues are temporary,

RabbitMQ. This way messages do not have to be moved

messages are retried at increasing intervals.

Store messages in a NoSQL database

To prevent MailerQ from loading messages from the queue at

stored in the database, MailerQ can retrieve the message

every send attempt, it can use a NoSQL database. By adding a

body associated with the key. The message body is only

unique key to the JSON that refers to the message body

loaded from the database once an SMTP connection is made.

Temporarily store
message bodies

NoSQL database

Load message body once SMTP

connection has been set up

JSON results
The input and output JSON look similar. The only difference is
the 'result' property that is added to the output JSON.

Different types of results

When MailerQ attempts to send an email there are three
possible outcomes:
The message was delivered

JSON input

"id": "1"
"envelope": "my-sender-address@my-domain.com",
"recipient": "info@example.org",
"custom-property-name": " debug data that will be
visible only in RabbitMQ message",
"generated": "2015-01-01 00:00:00",
"key": "message-store-key-where-body-can-be-found"
"maxdelivertime": "2015-01-01 01:00:00",
"maxattempts": 6,
"ips": ["231.34.13.156", "231.34.13.158"],

The message could not be delivered (fatal error)

The message could not be delivered (reschedule)

JSON output
"id": "1"
"envelope": "my-sender-address@my-domain.com",
"recipient": "info@example.org",
"custom-property-name": "debug data that will be

visible only in RabbitMQ message",
"generated": "2015-01-01 00:00:00",
"maxdelivertime": "2015-01-01 01:00:00",
"ips": ["231.34.13.156", "231.34.13.158"],

MailerQ adds a result property to the JSON at every outcome.

The first two outcomes are published to the result queue,
where your scripts can pick it up and process the message.
The last outcome returns the message to a retry queue.

"results": [
{
"attempt": 1,
"time": "2015-01-01 00:00:20",
"type": "error",
"from": "231.34.13.156",
"to": "receiving IP",
"state": "mail from",
"code": "421",
"status": "4.7.0",
"description": "[GL01] Message

from("231.34.13.156")temporarily deferred"
},

Understanding the results

Every attempted delivery adds a result property to the JSON.
Emails with multiple retries keep their earlier results. If the
delivery of an email fails, the JSON will specify the reason for
the failure under 'type' in the result property (e.g. refused,
overflow, expired, nodata). You can read exactly what
happened to the email before it was sent in the RabbitMQ

results queue.
Expired messages
Rescheduled emails that fail because the maximum delivery
time has expired are directly moved to the results queue.
These message are not retried, but still show a result property
that normally triggers a retry.

"attempt": 2,
"time": "2015-01-01 00:00:36",
"type": "success",
"from": "231.34.13.156",
"to": "receiving IP",
"state": "accept",
"code": "250",
"status": "2.0.0",
"description": "Message accepted for delivery"

System requirements
MailerQ is Linux based software, it runs on Debian based
environments (Debian, Ubuntu, etcetera) and Red Hat based
environments (Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS, etcetera). Before
you install MailerQ you first need to have access to a working
RabbitMQ (version 3.3.1+) message broker.
Optional
The MailerQ MTA supports a number of database engines:

domains (e.g. max delivery rate and max connect rate) is

MySQL, SQLite and PostgreSQL. The configuration for

stored in a database.

MailerQ is made, maintained and supported by

Copernica Marketing Software, a leading provider of high quality
marketing software located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

About Copernica Marketing Software

With Copernica Marketing Software you can deliver relevant and
timely communications using email, sms, landing pages and PDF.

MailerQ

Copernica Marketing Software

www.mailerq.com

www.copernica.com

info@mailerq.com

info@copernica.com

@mailerq

@Copernica
20141128