How to send email using asp.net without using username and password parameters in web.config?

Question

Hi My client's website has a 'Contact Us' page and I am sending all the information collected via this page to his email id. The web config file of the website looks like this - Is there any other way through which I can send the email WITHOUT using userName and password parameters ? Thanks

Zoran Horvat · Answer

Username is mandatory because SMTP server which sends email would not know who is trying to send the email. Password might not be necessary and that is SMTP setup matter. However unless you're the one to set up the SMTP server you are unlikely to find one which doesn't require password. Anyway even if you do set up your own SMTP server it is likely that receiving servers will bounce your emails as a measure of protection from spammers who operate just in that way. Consequently my advice (from many years of experience in sending emails from applications) is to use existing SMTP servers hosted by authoritative companies and then to adapt to their settings which in other words means to use password along. If you're worried that this might expose your own username/password then do a simple work-around. Create a helper account which would be used just to send emails from that particular application. Nobody would ever see that email address appear anywhere so who cares even if it is exposed to someone. Once you find out that that email address is not of use any more (e.g. somebody else found about it and abused it) just create next mail account and use that further on deleting the old one. Zoran