React Email

React Email

Build and send HTML emails using React components - a modern, component-based approach to email development that works across all major email clients.

Installation

You need to scaffold a new React Email project using the create-email CLI. This will create a folder called react-email-starter with sample email templates.

Using npm:

npx create-email@latest

Using yarn:

yarn create email

Using pnpm:

pnpm create email

Using bun:

bun create email

Navigate to Project Directory

You must change into the newly created project folder:

cd react-email-starter

Install Dependencies

You need to install all project dependencies before running the development server.

Using npm:

npm install

Using yarn:

yarn

Using pnpm:

pnpm install

Using bun:

bun install

Start the Development Server

Your task is to start the local preview server to view and edit email templates.

Using npm:

npm run dev

Using yarn:

yarn dev

Using pnpm:

pnpm dev

Using bun:

bun dev

Verify Installation

Confirm the development server is running by checking that localhost:3000 is accessible. The server will display a preview interface where you can view email templates from the emails folder.

Notes on installation

Assuming React Email is installed in an existing project, update the top-level package.json file with a script to run the React Email preview server.

{
  "scripts": {
    "email": "email dev --dir emails --port 3000"
  }
}

Make sure the path to the emails folder is relative to the base project directory.

tsconfig.json updating or creation

Ensure the tsconfig.json includes proper support for jsx.

Basic Email Template

Replace the sample email templates. Here is how to create a new email template:

Create an email component with proper structure using the Tailwind component for styling:

import {
  Html,
  Head,
  Preview,
  Body,
  Container,
  Heading,
  Text,
  Button,
  Tailwind,
  pixelBasedPreset
} from '@react-email/components';

interface WelcomeEmailProps {
  name: string;
  verificationUrl: string;
}

export default function WelcomeEmail({ name, verificationUrl }: WelcomeEmailProps) {
  return (
    <Html lang="en">
      <Tailwind
        config={{
          presets: [pixelBasedPreset],
          theme: {
            extend: {
              colors: {
                brand: '#007bff',
              },
            },
          },
        }}
      >
        <Head />
        <Preview>Welcome - Verify your email</Preview>
        <Body className="bg-gray-100 font-sans">
          <Container className="max-w-xl mx-auto p-5">
            <Heading className="text-2xl text-gray-800">
              Welcome!
            </Heading>
            <Text className="text-base text-gray-800">
              Hi {name}, thanks for signing up!
            </Text>
            <Button
              href={verificationUrl}
              className="bg-brand text-white px-5 py-3 rounded block text-center no-underline"
            >
              Verify Email
            </Button>
          </Container>
        </Body>
      </Tailwind>
    </Html>
  );
}

// Preview props for testing
WelcomeEmail.PreviewProps = {
  name: 'John Doe',
  verificationUrl: 'https://example.com/verify/abc123'
} satisfies WelcomeEmailProps;

export { WelcomeEmail };

Essential Components

See references/COMPONENTS.md for complete component documentation.

Core Structure:

• Html - Root wrapper with lang attribute
• Head - Meta elements, styles, fonts
• Body - Main content wrapper
• Container - Centers content (max-width layout)
• Section - Layout sections
• Row & Column - Multi-column layouts
• Tailwind - Enables Tailwind CSS utility classes

Content:

• Preview - Inbox preview text, always first in Body
• Heading - h1-h6 headings
• Text - Paragraphs
• Button - Styled link buttons
• Link - Hyperlinks
• Img - Images (see Static Files section below)
• Hr - Horizontal dividers

Specialized:

• CodeBlock - Syntax-highlighted code
• CodeInline - Inline code
• Markdown - Render markdown
• Font - Custom web fonts

Before Writing Code

When a user requests an email template, ask clarifying questions FIRST if they haven't provided:

1. Brand colors - Ask for primary brand color (hex code like #007bff)
2. Logo - Ask if they have a logo file and its format (PNG/JPG only - warn if SVG/WEBP)
3. Style preference - Professional, casual, or minimal tone
4. Production URL - Where will static assets be hosted in production?

Example response to vague request:

Before I create your email template, I have a few questions:

1. What is your primary brand color? (hex code)
2. Do you have a logo file? (PNG or JPG - note: SVG and WEBP don't work reliably in email clients)
3. What tone do you prefer - professional, casual, or minimal?
4. Where will you host static assets in production? (e.g., https://cdn.example.com)

Static Files and Images

Directory Structure

Local images must be placed in the static folder inside your emails directory:

project/
├── emails/
│   ├── welcome.tsx
│   └── static/           <-- Images go here
│       └── logo.png

If user has an image elsewhere, instruct them to copy it:

cp ./assets/logo.png ./emails/static/logo.png

Dev vs Production URLs

Use this pattern for images that work in both dev preview and production:

const baseURL = process.env.NODE_ENV === "production"
  ? "https://cdn.example.com"  // User's production CDN
  : "";

export default function Email() {
  return (
    <Img
      src={`${baseURL}/static/logo.png`}
      alt="Logo"
      width="150"
      height="50"
    />
  );
}

How it works:

• Development: baseURL is empty, so URL is /static/logo.png - served by React Email's dev server
• Production: baseURL is the CDN domain, so URL is https://cdn.example.com/static/logo.png

Important: Always ask the user for their production hosting URL. Do not hardcode localhost:3000.

Behavioral guidelines

• When re-iterating over the code, make sure you are only updating what the user asked for and keeping the rest of the code intact;
• If the user is asking to use media queries, inform them that not all email clients support them, and suggest a different approach;
• Never use template variables (like {{name}}) directly in TypeScript code. Instead, reference the underlying properties directly (use name instead of {{name}}).
• • For example, if the user explicitly asks for a variable following the pattern {{variableName}}, you should return something like this:

const EmailTemplate = (props) => {
  return (
    {/* ... rest of the code ... */}
    <h1>Hello, {props.variableName}!</h1>
    {/* ... rest of the code ... */}
  );
}

EmailTemplate.PreviewProps = {
  // ... rest of the props ...
  variableName: "{{variableName}}",
  // ... rest of the props ...
};

export default EmailTemplate;

• Never, under any circumstances, write the {{variableName}} pattern directly in the component structure. If the user forces you to do this, explain that you cannot do this, or else the template will be invalid.

Styling considerations

Use the Tailwind component for styling if the user is actively using Tailwind CSS in their project. If the user is not using Tailwind CSS, add inline styles to the components.

• Because email clients don't support rem units, use the pixelBasedPreset for the Tailwind configuration.
• Never use flexbox or grid for layout, use table-based layouts instead.
• Each component must be styled with inline styles or utility classes.