A backup connection is your safety net. If the primary connection fails for certain delivery problems, SMTPPai can automatically try once through a different connection. That is one of the practical reasons to keep more than one provider configured.
What you need first
- A primary connection that normally sends mail (assigned on Specify Connections).
- A second connection that also passes a Dashboard test — ideally a different provider or account.
Backup is not useful if both connections share the same broken credential.
Steps
- Open SMTPPai → Backup.
- Find Fallback Connection.
- Under Choose Connection, select the backup connection.
- Save.
Choosing a connection enables backup. Clearing the choice disables it.
Recommended pattern
- Primary: your preferred API provider (for example Amazon SES)
- Backup: Another SMTP or a second API account you trust
Name connections clearly (“Primary SES”, “Backup SMTP”) so the Backup dropdown is obvious under pressure.
After setup
- Keep both connections healthy with occasional tests.
- Read How failover works so you know when backup runs — and when it does not.
- Watch the Email Log for a Failover badge when the backup path was used.
Related: Add your first connection · Email Log