Free production checklist

Get FreeResend ready for production SES traffic.

Use this guide before pointing a real application at FreeResend. It focuses on the launch details that usually create the first production incident: SES sandbox access, DNS authentication, webhook coverage, smoke tests, monitoring, and rollback ownership.

Run DNS checkerDraft SES requestBook review for $12

Preflight order

Do not launch by DNS alone

Passing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is necessary, but production readiness also depends on SES account state, event handling, send-rate limits, and the human rollback path.

Authenticate the sending domain

Verify the domain in SES, publish DKIM records, keep SPF aligned with the real sender, and set a DMARC policy that reports failures before it rejects mail.

  • DKIM records resolve
  • SPF includes the sending path
  • DMARC reporting address works

Move SES out of sandbox deliberately

Confirm the production region, requested daily quota, expected peak send rate, suppression list behavior, and the account identity that will own the launch.

  • Production access approved
  • Quota matches first-week traffic
  • Region matches app config

Wire bounce and complaint events

Use SNS or EventBridge to feed FreeResend webhook handling, then test the path before any customer-facing transactional mail depends on it.

  • Bounce path tested
  • Complaint path tested
  • Suppression updates observable

Run a production smoke test

Send a low-volume test from the production app path, inspect headers, confirm logs, and make sure rollback does not require editing secrets in a hurry.

  • Headers show aligned domain
  • App logs preserve message IDs
  • Rollback owner is named

Common launch risks

  • SES remains in sandbox while the app is already configured for production traffic.
  • A DMARC record exists, but reports go nowhere or the policy hides DKIM alignment failures.
  • Bounce and complaint webhooks are configured after launch instead of before the first real send.
  • The team has no low-risk rollback path if DNS, secrets, or SES quotas are wrong.

Handoff questions

What a reviewer needs before launch

A useful deployment review does not need secrets. It needs the public sending domain, the intended SES region, the deployment notes, and the specific risk you want checked before production traffic.

  • Which domain and subdomain will send transactional mail?
  • Which AWS account, SES region, and quota request own this launch?
  • Where do bounces, complaints, and delivery events appear after a send?
  • Who can roll back the sender configuration during the first production hour?

Need a second set of eyes?

Turn the checklist into a paid deployment review.

The $12 review covers one FreeResend deployment plan and returns a concise priority report across DNS, SES state, webhook handling, smoke tests, and rollback risk.

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