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Quick Start

This guide will help you send your first email using the AhaSend CLI in just a few minutes.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:
  1. Installed the AhaSend CLI
  2. An AhaSend account (sign up here)
  3. Your API key and Account ID from the dashboard

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Step 1: Authentication

First, authenticate with your AhaSend API credentials: 
# Interactive login (recommended)
ahasend auth login
You’ll be prompted to enter:
  • Your API key
  • Your Account ID
  • A profile name (default: “default”)
Your credentials are securely stored in ~/.ahasend/config.yaml for future use.
Alternatively, provide credentials directly: 
ahasend auth login --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --account-id YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID
Verify your authentication: 
ahasend auth status

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Step 2: Add a Sending Domain

Before sending emails, you need to add and verify a domain: 
# Add your domain
ahasend domains create example.com
This command will return DNS records that you need to configure, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records that must be added to your domain’s DNS settings. After configuring your DNS records, verify the domain: 
# Verify domain configuration
ahasend domains verify example.com

# Check verification status
ahasend domains get example.com
DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours, but typically completes within minutes.

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Step 3: Send Your First Email

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Simple Text Email

ahasend messages send \
  --from noreply@example.com \
  --to recipient@email.com \
  --subject "Hello from AhaSend CLI" \
  --text "This is my first email sent using the AhaSend CLI!"

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HTML Email

ahasend messages send \
  --from noreply@example.com \
  --to recipient@email.com \
  --subject "Welcome to AhaSend" \
  --html "<h1>Welcome!</h1><p>Thank you for using AhaSend.</p>"

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Email with Both HTML and Text

ahasend messages send \
  --from noreply@example.com \
  --to recipient@email.com \
  --subject "Welcome" \
  --html "<h1>Welcome to AhaSend!</h1><p>We're glad you're here.</p>" \
  --text "Welcome to AhaSend! We're glad you're here."

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Step 4: Test with Sandbox Mode

Before sending real emails, test your integration using sandbox mode: 
ahasend messages send \
  --from noreply@example.com \
  --to test@example.com \
  --subject "Test Email" \
  --text "This is a test email in sandbox mode" \
  --sandbox
Sandbox mode simulates the entire email sending process without actually delivering emails. Perfect for testing!
You can also simulate different outcomes: 
# Simulate a bounce
ahasend messages send \
  --from noreply@example.com \
  --to test@example.com \
  --subject "Test Bounce" \
  --text "Testing bounce scenario" \
  --sandbox \
  --sandbox-result bounce

# Simulate successful delivery
ahasend messages send \
  --from noreply@example.com \
  --to test@example.com \
  --subject "Test Success" \
  --text "Testing successful delivery" \
  --sandbox \
  --sandbox-result deliver

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Step 5: Send Batch Emails

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Prepare Recipients File

Create a CSV file with recipient data (recipients.csv): 
email,name,first_name,company
john@example.com,John Doe,John,ACME Corp
jane@example.com,Jane Smith,Jane,Tech Inc
alice@example.com,Alice Johnson,Alice,StartUp Ltd

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Create an HTML Template

Create a template file (welcome.html): 
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Welcome {{first_name}}!</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to {{company}}, {{first_name}}!</h1>
    <p>We're excited to have you on board.</p>
    <p>Best regards,<br>The AhaSend Team</p>
</body>
</html>

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Send Batch Emails

ahasend messages send \
  --from welcome@example.com \
  --recipients recipients.csv \
  --subject "Welcome to {{company}}" \
  --html-template welcome.html \
  --progress \
  --show-metrics
The CLI will:
  • Send personalized emails to each recipient
  • Show a progress bar
  • Display performance metrics
  • Save any failed recipients for retry

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Step 6: Monitor Your Emails

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Check Delivery Statistics

# View today's statistics
ahasend stats deliverability

# View statistics for a date range
ahasend stats deliverability \
  --start-date 2024-01-01 \
  --end-date 2024-01-31

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List Recent Messages

# List recent sent messages
ahasend messages list

# Filter by status
ahasend messages list --status delivered

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Common Patterns

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Using Different Output Formats

# Default table format
ahasend domains list

# JSON format for automation
ahasend domains list --output json

# CSV format for analysis
ahasend stats deliverability --output csv > stats.csv

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Working with Multiple Environments

# Set up different profiles
ahasend auth login --profile production
ahasend auth login --profile staging

# Use specific profile for commands
ahasend messages send --profile staging \
  --from test@staging.example.com \
  --to dev@example.com \
  --subject "Staging Test" \
  --text "Testing staging environment"

# Switch default profile
ahasend auth switch production

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Adding Attachments

ahasend messages send \
  --from noreply@example.com \
  --to customer@example.com \
  --subject "Your Invoice" \
  --text "Please find your invoice attached." \
  --attach invoice.pdf \
  --attach receipt.pdf

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Scheduling Emails

# Schedule for a specific time
ahasend messages send \
  --from reminder@example.com \
  --to user@example.com \
  --subject "Reminder: Meeting Tomorrow" \
  --text "Don't forget about our meeting at 2 PM." \
  --schedule "2024-12-25T10:00:00Z"

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What’s Next?

Now that you’ve sent your first emails, explore more features:

Authentication

Learn about profiles and credential management

Message Commands

Explore all email sending options

Batch Processing

Send high-volume emails efficiently

Templates

Use templates for personalized emails

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Getting Help

If you need help at any point: 
# General help
ahasend --help

# Command-specific help
ahasend messages send --help

# Check current status
ahasend auth status
ahasend ping
For additional support:
⌘I