May 2023 Summaries

The Messages API is a REST API that allows developers to get details about any outbound or inbound messages processed through their Postmark server. The API supports search functionality using query parameters, but each search can only return up to 10,000 messages. To retrieve message data for more than 10,000 messages, developers need to use search parameters to narrow down the results. This tutorial provides two examples of breaking down larger sets of messages into chunks of less than 10,000 using node.js and exporting the results as a CSV file. The first example retrieves message data by tag, while the second example retrieves message data by date range. Developers can execute their app using the `node index.js` command and modify the code to support other valid search parameters, wider or narrower time ranges, saving results to a database, or using the official Postmark node.js library.

Postmark has introduced a retention add-on that allows customers to adjust the default 45-day data retention period for message content and activity insights, ranging from 7-365 days. This feature is designed to meet various business needs, such as extending data retention for proof of send or email logs for audits, reducing data footprint when decreasing data retention time, and supporting GDPR compliance by automatically deleting personal PII after 30 days. The add-on is available to all Postmark customers on paid subscription plans, and once enabled, new retention settings will apply to all future emails sent.

Amazon SES (Simple Email Service) is like buying a car for $200, but you have to assemble it yourself. If you need reliable email delivery with no dedicated team or limited resources, consider alternatives that offer faster speeds and better deliverability. Here are five Amazon SES alternatives recommended by an industry expert: Postmark, SendGrid, Mailchimp Transactional, Mailgun, and MessageBird Email (formerly SparkPost). Each provider has its pros and cons, pricing models, and features, so it's essential to research and compare them before making a decision. Postmark is the only email delivery service that shares delivery times publicly, offers transparent pricing, and provides stellar customer support at no extra charge. SendGrid is an established player with a powerful all-in-one service, but its deliverability can be mixed, and premium support comes at an additional cost. Mailchimp Transactional offers a one-stop shop with strong analytics, but lacks product focus and has higher costs. Mailgun has scalable plans and 99.99% uptime SLA, but inconsistent deliverability and sending speed issues. MessageBird Email (formerly SparkPost) is geared towards enterprise businesses with high-volume commercial sending and detailed developer docs, but its complexity might be too much for medium-sized companies or startups.