Setup Email Routing with Gmail and Cloudflare
So I moved my Google Domain (juri.dev) to Cloudflare, which I’ve been using in the past for caching and re-routing. Their services is just amazing. Anyway, what I wanted to get is also re-routing of emails, say someone writes at *@juri.dev I want to receive it ideally in my Gmail inbox. Turns out Cloudflare has a solution for that 👀 called “Email Routing”. You give it an email and a destination. Done!
The only problem that remains is how to reply with that same email address. Now Gmail has a “Send mail as” feature which I’ve been using already in the past. And you can use that feature to do exactly that. I found this nice little Gist that describes the process step by step as outlined below (copy and pasted in to preserve it in case it disappears)
Source: https://gist.github.com/irazasyed/a5ca450f1b1b8a01e092b74866e9b2f1
Using Gmail SMTP with Cloudflare Email Routing: Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to send emails through Gmail SMTP with Cloudflare Email Routing in this comprehensive guide.
Step 1: Enable 2-Factor Authentication
To proceed with this method, ensure that you have enabled two-factor authentication for your Google account. If you haven’t done so already, you can follow the link to set it up → Enable 2FA in your Google account.
Step 2: Create an App Password for Mail
In your Google account settings, create an App Password specifically for Mail. Follow this link to create the App Password → Create an App Password (You will need to copy and use this password later along with your Gmail address in the Google SMTP server settings in the “Add another email address” form).
When creating the App Password, select “Mail” as the app and choose your computer as the device. Click on “Generate” and make sure to copy the generated password. You will need it later in the process.
Step 3: Add Your Cloudflare-Routed Email Address to Gmail
Open Gmail and navigate to Settings → Accounts → Send mail as. In this section, click on “Add another email address” and fill out the form with your name and your Cloudflare-routed email address. Untick the “Treat as an alias” option and click on “Next Step.”
Step 4: Fill Out the Next Form
SMTP Server: smtp.gmail.com
Port: 587
Username: Your Gmail address (including @gmail.com)
Password: The App Password you generated in Step 2
Leave TLS enabled
Click on Add Account
You will receive an email from Gmail asking you to confirm ownership by providing a code. Enter the code in the dialog box or click the link provided in the confirmation email to complete the process.
Step 5: Setup SPF Records & DMARC Policy in Cloudflare DNS
SPF Record
- Type:
TXT - Name:
@ - TTL:
auto - Content:
v=spf1 include:_spf.mx.cloudflare.net include:_spf.google.com ~all
DMARC Policy
If you wish to set up a DMARC Policy or already have one, ensure that the policy’s p parameter is set to none. Otherwise, your outbound emails may fail to authenticate and get blocked.
You can use Cloudflare’s DMARC Management to set up a policy for monitoring outbound emails.
Example TXT Record:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:<your-email-to-report>
Credits
This guide is based on the following published resources below.