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 "
inside<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 box-border "
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: Brand colors - Ask for primary brand color (hex code like #007bff) Logo - Ask if they have a logo file and its format (PNG/JPG only - warn if SVG/WEBP) Style preference - Professional, casual, or minimal tone 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: What is your primary brand color? (hex code) Do you have a logo file? (PNG or JPG - note: SVG and WEBP don't work reliably in email clients) What tone do you prefer - professional, casual, or minimal? 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 ... / } < h1Hello , { 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. Import pixelBasedPreset from @react-email/components — do NOT import from @react-email/tailwind or @react-email/tailwind/presets . Never use flexbox or grid for layout, use table-based layouts instead. Each component must be styled with inline styles or utility classes. Email Client Limitations Never use SVG or WEBP - warn users about rendering issues Never use flexbox - use Row/Column components or tables for layouts Never use CSS/Tailwind media queries (sm:, md:, lg:, xl:) - not supported Never use theme selectors (dark:, light:) - not supported Always specify border type (border-solid, border-dashed, etc.) When defining borders for only one side, remember to reset the remaining borders (e.g., border-none border-l) Required Classes These classes are always required on their respective components — omitting them causes rendering bugs across email clients: Component Required Class Why Button box-border Prevents padding from overflowing the button width Hr / any border border-solid (or border-dashed , etc.) Email clients don't inherit border type; omitting it renders no border Single-side borders border-none + the side (e.g., border-none border-t border-solid ) Resets default borders on other sides Component Structure Always define
< a href = { props . source }
click here if you want candy 👀 </ a
</ div
) ; } Email . PreviewProps = { source : "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" , } ; Default Structure Body: font-sans py-10 bg-gray-100 Container: white, centered, content left-aligned Footer: physical address, unsubscribe link, current year with m-0 on address/copyright Typography Titles: bold, larger font, larger margins Paragraphs: regular weight, smaller font, smaller margins Use consistent spacing respecting content hierarchy Images Only include if user requests Never use fixed width/height - use responsive units (w-full, h-auto) Never distort user-provided images Never create SVG images - only use provided or web images Buttons Always use box-border to prevent padding overflow Layout Always mobile-friendly by default Use stacked layouts that work on all screen sizes Remove default spacing/margins/padding between list items Dark Mode When requested: container black (#000), background dark gray (#151516) Best Practices Choose colors, layout, and copy based on user's request Make templates unique, not generic Use keywords in email body to increase conversion Rendering Convert to HTML import { render } from '@react-email/components' ; import { WelcomeEmail } from './emails/welcome' ; const html = await render ( < WelcomeEmail name = " John " verificationUrl = " https://example.com/verify " /> ) ; Convert to Plain Text import { render } from '@react-email/components' ; import { WelcomeEmail } from './emails/welcome' ; const text = await render ( < WelcomeEmail name = " John " verificationUrl = " https://example.com/verify " /> , { plainText : true } ) ; Sending React Email supports sending with any email service provider. If the user wants to know how to send, view the Sending guidelines . Quick example using the Resend SDK for Node.js: import { Resend } from 'resend' ; import { WelcomeEmail } from './emails/welcome' ; const resend = new Resend ( process . env . RESEND_API_KEY ) ; const { data , error } = await resend . emails . send ( { from : 'Acme onboarding@resend.dev' , to : [ 'user@example.com' ] , subject : 'Welcome to Acme' , react : < WelcomeEmail name = " John " verificationUrl = " https://example.com/verify " /> } ) ; if ( error ) { console . error ( 'Failed to send:' , error ) ; } The Node SDK automatically handles the plain-text rendering and HTML rendering for you. Internationalization See references/I18N.md for complete i18n documentation. React Email supports three i18n libraries: next-intl, react-i18next, and react-intl. Quick Example (next-intl) import { createTranslator } from 'next-intl' ; import { Html , Body , Container , Text , Button , Tailwind , pixelBasedPreset } from '@react-email/components' ; interface EmailProps { name : string ; locale : string ; } export default async function WelcomeEmail ( { name , locale } : EmailProps ) { const t = createTranslator ( { messages : await import ( ` . . / messages / \$ { locale } . json ` ) , namespace : 'welcome-email' , locale } ) ; return ( < Html lang = { locale }
< Tailwind config = { { presets : [ pixelBasedPreset ] } }
< Body className = " bg-gray-100 font-sans "
< Container className = " max-w-xl mx-auto p-5 "
< Text className = " text-base text-gray-800 "
{ t ( 'greeting' ) } { name } , </ Text
< Text className = " text-base text-gray-800 "
{ t ( 'body' ) } </ Text
< Button href = " https://example.com " className = " bg-blue-600 text-white px-5 py-3 rounded "
{ t ( 'cta' ) } </ Button
</ Container
</ Body
</ Tailwind
</ Html
)
;
}
Message files (messages/en.json, messages/es.json, etc.):
{
"welcome-email"
:
{
"greeting"
:
"Hi"
,
"body"
:
"Thanks for signing up!"
,
"cta"
:
"Get Started"
}
}
Email Best Practices
Test across email clients
- Test in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Yahoo Mail. Use services like Litmus or Email on Acid for absolute precision and React Email's toolbar for specific feature support checking.
Keep it responsive
- Max-width around 600px, test on mobile devices.
Use absolute image URLs
- Host on reliable CDN, always include alt text.
Provide plain text version
- Required for accessibility and some email clients.
Keep file size under 102KB
- Gmail clips larger emails.
Add proper TypeScript types
- Define interfaces for all email props.
Include preview props
- Add .PreviewProps to components for development testing.
Handle errors
- Always check for errors when sending emails.
Use verified domains
- For production, use verified domains in from addresses.
Common Patterns
See
references/PATTERNS.md
for complete examples including:
Password reset emails
Order confirmations with product lists
Notification emails with code blocks
Multi-column layouts
Email templates with custom fonts
Additional Resources
React Email Documentation
React Email GitHub
Resend Documentation
Email Client CSS Support
Component Reference:
references/COMPONENTS.md
Internationalization Guide:
references/I18N.md
Common Patterns:
references/PATTERNS.md