Testing Workflows

Here's how to test common email scenarios.

#Registration emails

Check that:

The right email address got it
The subject line looks good
Any personalization (like the user's name) works
Verification links actually work when clicked
Images and branding look right

#Password resets

Trigger a password reset and check the email in MailCade.

Click the reset link - it should work. Try it again after it expires to make sure your timeout logic works.

Make sure the email has appropriate security warnings and comes from the right address.

#Order confirmations

Place a test order and check the confirmation email.

Verify the order number, items, prices, and shipping address are all correct. Make sure tables and formatting look good. Nothing worse than a broken receipt.

#Email templates

Working on a new email template? Send one through and check it in MailCade.

Resize the window to see how it looks on different screen sizes. Make sure colors match your design, fonts load, images appear, and buttons are clickable.

#Other emails to test

Don't forget about:

Account stuff: Email/password changes, 2FA codes, login alerts

Billing: Payment receipts, failed payments, renewals, refunds

Activity: New followers, comments, messages, reminders

#Multiple recipients

Testing emails with multiple recipients? Just add them. MailCade catches them all.

BCC addresses won't show in the headers (as expected). Check that reply-to addresses work correctly.

#Automated testing

MailCade has an API at http://localhost:8025/api/v1/messages. Use it in your automated tests:

test('user receives welcome email', async ({ page }) => {
  // Trigger registration
  await page.goto('http://localhost:3000/register');
  await page.fill('[name="email"]', '[email protected]');
  await page.click('button[type="submit"]');
 
  // Check email arrived
  const response = await fetch('http://localhost:8025/api/v1/messages');
  const { messages } = await response.json();
 
  const email = messages.find(m => m.To[0].Address === '[email protected]');
 
  expect(email.Subject).toContain('Welcome');
});

You can also delete all emails between tests:

curl -X DELETE http://localhost:8025/api/v1/messages

#Quick tips

Use realistic data: Test with [email protected], not [email protected]. Use actual names for personalization.

Test edge cases: Long subject lines, special characters, international addresses, attachments.

Test timing: Make sure immediate emails send instantly. Check that delayed/scheduled emails work.

Test failures: What happens with invalid data? Missing fields? Make sure error handling works.

#Before each release

Create a simple checklist:

Registration emails work
Password resets work
Order confirmations look right
All your critical email flows are tested

Takes 5 minutes and catches silly mistakes.

#What's next

Want to tweak MailCade's settings? Check the settings guide.

Running into problems? See troubleshooting.