> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://inbound.new/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Simple email processing API for receiving and managing emails programmatically

Welcome to Inbound! Get started with sending emails, receiving emails, and building complete email workflows in minutes.

## Quick Start

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get Your API Key">
    Sign up at [inbound.new](https://inbound.new) and generate an API key from your dashboard.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install the SDK (Recommended)">
    Install our SDK for the best developer experience:

    ```bash theme={null}
    npm install inboundemail
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send Your First Email">
    Start sending emails immediately:

    ```typescript SDK (typescript) theme={null}
    import { Inbound } from 'inboundemail'

    const inbound = new Inbound(process.env.INBOUND_API_KEY!)

    const { data, error } = await inbound.emails.send({
      from: 'Inbound User <agent@inbnd.dev>',
      to: 'youremail@inbound.new',
      subject: 'Welcome!',
      html: '<p>Thanks for signing up!</p>',
      tags: [{ name: 'campaign', value: 'welcome' }]
    })

    console.log(`Email sent: ${data?.id}`)
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Authentication

All API requests to Inbound v2 require authentication using an API key. This guide explains how to obtain and use your API key securely.

### Base URL

All authenticated requests are made to:

```bash theme={null}
https://inbound.new/api/e2
```

### Getting Your API Key

<Steps>
  <Step title="Access Your Dashboard">
    Log in to your Inbound dashboard and navigate to the Settings page.

    <Card title="Dashboard" icon="external-link" href="https://inbound.new/settings">
      Access your API keys from the dashboard
    </Card>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate API Key">
    Click "Create API Key" and give it a descriptive name for easy identification.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy and Store Securely">
    Copy your API key immediately and store it securely. You won't be able to see it again.

    <Warning>
      API keys are sensitive credentials. Never expose them in client-side code or commit them to version control.
    </Warning>
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Using Your API Key

Include your API key in the `Authorization` header of all API requests:

```bash theme={null}
Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here
```

### Security Best Practices

* **Environment Variables**: Always store API keys in environment variables
* **Key Rotation**: Regularly rotate your API keys for enhanced security
* **Environment Separation**: Use separate API keys for different environments
* **Monitoring**: Monitor your API key usage in the dashboard

<Tip>
  Learn about [rate limits](/rate-limits) to optimize your API usage and avoid hitting limits.
</Tip>

## How Inbound Works

Inbound enables you to be able to send & receive emails programmatically.

#### Sending Emails

You can send emails using the SDK or the API. Our SDK is *very* similar to the [Resend SDK](https://resend.com/docs/api-reference). So if you are
migrating from Resend, you shouldn't have any trouble.

Example:

```typescript Node.js theme={null}
const { data, error } = await inbound.emails.send({
  from: 'Inbound User <agent@inbnd.dev>',
  to: 'youremail@inbound.new',
  subject: 'Welcome!',
  html: '<p>Thanks for signing up!</p>',
  tags: [{ name: 'campaign', value: 'welcome' }]
})

console.log(`Email sent: ${data?.id}`)
```

#### Receiving Emails

In inbound you can receive emails using endpoints. You can attach endpoints to individual email
addresses or you can setup catch-all for a domain, where all any incoming email that doesn't match
any of the specific email addresses will be routed to the catch-all endpoint.

Example:

```typescript theme={null}
switch (email) {
  case 'support@yourdomain.com':
    endpoint1  // Specific endpoint for support
  case 'sales@yourdomain.com':
    endpoint2  // Specific endpoint for sales
  default:    // catch-all
    endpoint3  // Fallback endpoint for all other emails
}
```

## API Features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Send Emails" icon="paper-plane" href="/api-reference/emails/send-an-email">
    Send transactional emails with Resend-compatible API
  </Card>

  <Card title="Receive Emails" icon="inbox" href="/sdk/webhook-handling">
    Process incoming emails via webhooks with TypeScript types
  </Card>

  <Card title="Reply to Emails" icon="reply" href="/api-reference/emails/reply-to-email">
    Send replies to received emails with full threading support
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage Domains" icon="globe" href="/api-reference/domains/create-domain">
    Add and verify domains for email receiving
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Error Handling

API errors are returned with appropriate HTTP status codes:

```json theme={null}
{
  "error": "Invalid or missing API key"
}
```

Common status codes:

* `200` - Success
* `400` - Bad Request (invalid parameters)
* `401` - Unauthorized (invalid API key)
* `404` - Not Found (resource not found)
* `429` - Too Many Requests (rate limit exceeded)
* `500` - Internal Server Error

## Next Steps

Ready to start building with Inbound? Here are the essential resources to get you started:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication Guide" icon="key" href="/authentication">
    Complete guide to API authentication and security
  </Card>

  <Card title="Rate Limits" icon="clock" href="/rate-limits">
    Understand API limits and optimization strategies
  </Card>

  <Card title="Send Your First Email" icon="paper-plane" href="/api-reference/emails/send-an-email">
    Start sending emails with the API
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDK Installation" icon="code" href="/sdk/installation">
    Install and configure the TypeScript SDK
  </Card>

  <Card title="Error Codes" icon="exclamation-triangle" href="/errors">
    Reference for all API error codes and responses
  </Card>
</CardGroup>