Email API to send and receive email
Send email from your own domain with one REST call, reply inside the customer's thread, and receive every inbound email as structured JSON on your webhook.
- ✓ Your own verified domain
- ✓ Replies stay in thread
- ✓ Inbound email as JSON
- ✓ Bounces blocked for you
Send an email from your domain
Full reference →curl -X POST "https://api.iotabot.com/v1/messages" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $IOTABOT_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"channel": "email",
"to": "priya@example.com",
"from": "support@acme.com",
"subject": "Your order #1042",
"html": "<p>Hi Priya, your order shipped.</p>"
}' \
-H "Idempotency-Key: order-1042-shipped"{
"data": {
"id": "6a4ba0f1c3f1a2b3c4d5e733",
"object": "message",
"status": "queued",
"channel": "email",
"conversation_id": "6a4b9e21c3f1a2b3c4d5e6f7",
"created_at": "2026-10-01T09:16:10.004Z",
"type": "email",
"email": {
"subject": "Order #1042",
"mailbox": "support@acme.com",
"customer": "priya@example.com",
"message_id": "<0102019a1c.iotabot@acme.com>",
"thread_id": "<CAF3kq1x@mail.gmail.com>",
"from": "support@acme.com",
"to": [
"priya@example.com"
],
"cc": [],
"in_reply_to": "<CAF3kq1x@mail.gmail.com>",
"references": "<CAF3kq1x@mail.gmail.com>"
}
}
}- Your domain
- mail goes from your verified address
- In thread
- In-Reply-To and References set for you
- JSON
- every inbound email, parsed, on your webhook
- 10 MB
- of attachments per message, any file type
Get started with the Email API in three steps
- 1
Connect your mailbox
Forward support@ (or any address) to IotaBot and verify your sending domain.
- 2
Create an API key
In Developers → API keys, create a key with messages:send and messages:read.
- 3
Send and receive
POST /v1/messages to send; add a webhook endpoint for inbound email.
What you can build with the Email API
Send from your own domain
Email goes out from your address on your verified domain — any of your mailboxes, picked with from.
See how →Replies stay in the thread
Reply with conversation_id; the right In-Reply-To and References are set, so the customer's mail client keeps one thread.
See how →HTML, cc, bcc and attachments
Send HTML (a plain-text version is made for you), cc and bcc, and attachments of any type — 10 MB per message.
See how →Inbound email as JSON
Every email that arrives is parsed and POSTed to your webhook: from, to, cc, subject, text, sanitised and raw HTML, attachments.
See how →Deliverability protection
Addresses that bounced or complained are refused before sending, which protects your domain's reputation.
See how →Test mode
Test keys run every check and simulate inbound email — nothing is ever sent.
See how →Email API use cases
Order and account emails
Send order confirmations, receipts and account notices from your own domain.
Support replies from your helpdesk
Reply to customers from your own tool — in their thread, from your support address.
Parse inbound email
Turn emails into tickets, leads or orders in your system from the JSON webhook.
One inbox with the AI
IotaBot's inbox shows every email, so your team and your code work the same threads.
Built-in protections
- Only verified domains can send - refused with sender_not_verified otherwise.
- Hard-bounced and complained addresses are never emailed (recipient_suppressed).
- Unsubscribed addresses can be answered, but not written to afresh (recipient_unsubscribed).
Email API: frequently asked questions
What is an email API?
An email API lets your application send and receive email with HTTP requests instead of an email client. With IotaBot you send with POST /v1/messages and receive every inbound email as JSON on your webhook.
Can I send from my own domain?
Yes. Mail goes from your own address on your verified domain. GET /v1/email/senders lists the addresses you can send from.
Do replies stay in the same thread?
Yes. Reply with the conversation_id and IotaBot sets In-Reply-To and References to the customer's last email, so their mail client keeps one thread.
Can I receive emails through the API?
Yes. Forward your mailbox to IotaBot and add a webhook endpoint — each email arrives as JSON with from, to, cc, subject, text, sanitised and raw HTML, and attachments. See the inbound email API.
Can I send attachments?
Yes — any file type, up to 10 MB per message, uploaded first with POST /v1/files or attached inline as base64.
What happens with bounced addresses?
Addresses that bounced permanently or reported spam are refused before sending with recipient_suppressed, which protects your domain's sending reputation.
Is there a test mode?
Yes. A test key (ib_test_…) runs every check and can simulate an inbound email; nothing is sent.
One API for every channel
The same endpoints, webhooks and errors on WhatsApp, Instagram, email and website chat.
Start building with the Email API
Create a key, send your first request, and try everything in test mode before it goes live.