Absolutely! Here’s a comprehensive tutorial and troubleshooting guide for sending email from a GoDaddy VPS Server with cPanel + WHM. This includes PHP mail(), SMTP setup, logs, DNS settings, and common issues with solutions.

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Sending Emails from GoDaddy VPS with cPanel + WHM

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1. How Email Sending Works on a cPanel VPS

Component	Role
Exim	The default Mail Transfer Agent (MTA)
PHP	Uses Exim via /usr/sbin/sendmail for mail()
WHM	Manages global email delivery, logs, limits
cPanel	Manages email accounts and per-domain settings

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2. Send Email Using PHP’s mail() Function

Step 1: Create a PHP Script

<?php
$to = "your@email.com";
$subject = "Test Email from GoDaddy VPS";
$message = "This is a test email sent using PHP.";
$headers = "From: noreply@yourdomain.com";

if (mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers)) {
    echo " Email sent successfully.";
} else {
    echo " Email sending failed.";
}
?>

Save this as mailcheck.php inside your website’s public_html folder.

Step 2: Access in Browser

Visit:

https://yourdomain.com/mailcheck.php

You should see “ Email sent successfully.”

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3. Check Email Logs

SSH into the VPS:

sudo tail -f /var/log/exim_mainlog

Other useful logs:

• /var/log/exim_paniclog – for fatal errors
• /var/log/exim_rejectlog – for rejected messages

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4. Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC (Important for Delivery)

SPF & DKIM

1. Go to WHM > Email > Email Deliverability
2. Choose your domain
3. Click “Repair” if SPF or DKIM are missing
4. Copy the suggested DNS records to your GoDaddy DNS

DMARC (Optional but Recommended)

Add this TXT record in DNS:

Name: _dmarc.yourdomain.com
Type: TXT
Value: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourdomain.com

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5. Send Email via SMTP (More Reliable)

Use this when sending emails from contact forms, apps, or Laravel/WordPress.

Create an Email Account

In cPanel > Email Accounts, create:

• Email: info@yourdomain.com
• Password: your_password

Use PHPMailer (Example)

Install:

composer require phpmailer/phpmailer

Code:

use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;

$mail = new PHPMailer();
$mail->isSMTP();
$mail->Host = 'mail.yourdomain.com';
$mail->SMTPAuth = true;
$mail->Username = 'info@yourdomain.com';
$mail->Password = 'your_password';
$mail->SMTPSecure = 'tls';
$mail->Port = 587;

$mail->setFrom('info@yourdomain.com', 'Your Name');
$mail->addAddress('recipient@example.com');
$mail->Subject = 'SMTP Test Email';
$mail->Body = 'This email is sent using SMTP and PHPMailer.';

if ($mail->send()) {
    echo ' Mail sent!';
} else {
    echo ' Mail failed: ' . $mail->ErrorInfo;
}

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6. Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
mail() fails silently	Check /var/log/exim_mainlog
Mail lands in spam	Setup SPF/DKIM/DMARC correctly
Mail delivery delays	Check WHM > Mail Queue Manager
PHP can’t find sendmail	Ensure /usr/sbin/sendmail exists (default in WHM)
SMTP auth fails	Double-check credentials, port 587 with TLS
GoDaddy blocking ports	VPS is usually open, but shared hosting blocks SMTP ports

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7. Tips for Deliverability

• Use a real domain and valid “From” address (avoid noreply@localhost)
• Keep your IP clean (avoid spamming)
• Use List-Unsubscribe headers for bulk email
• Monitor bounces and complaints

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8. Bonus: Webmail Testing

You can also send test emails from:

• Webmail: Access via https://yourdomain.com/webmail
• Login with the email you created in cPanel

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Tools Recap

Tool/Feature	Where
Email Accounts	cPanel
Mail Logs	/var/log/exim_mainlog
DNS Settings	WHM > Email Deliverability
Webmail Access	https://yourdomain.com/webmail
Mail Queue	WHM > Mail Queue Manager
SMTP Credentials	cPanel > Email Accounts

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