Inbound Email API

Turn incoming email into webhooks

Point an MX record at Postscale. Inbound messages are delivered to your app as signed JSON webhooks with parsed headers, body, attachment metadata, download links, and sender metadata.

Parsed JSON payload

Headers, plain-text body, HTML body, and attachment metadata delivered as structured fields. No MIME parsing on your end.

Hosted attachments

Attachments are stored outside the webhook body and exposed through authenticated Postscale download URLs. No base64 bloat in retries.

Catch-all or per-address

Route every @yourdomain.com address to one endpoint, or define patterns like support-+ticket@… for routing inside your app.

HMAC-signed webhooks

Every delivery is signed with HMAC-SHA256. Verify authenticity in one line. Retries with exponential backoff for 4 attempts.

Reply detection

Built-in In-Reply-To / References threading. Know which outbound message a reply belongs to without writing your own heuristics.

EU/EEA-hosted primary service data

Primary inbound message service data is hosted in the EU/EEA. Limited routing and infrastructure metadata may be processed under appropriate transfer safeguards.

Webhook payload your endpoint receives
{
  "email_id": "0c1f2a3b-...",
  "to": "support@yourapp.com",
  "from": "customer@example.com",
  "subject": "Password reset not working",
  "text": "Hi, I'm trying to reset my password...",
  "html": "<p>Hi, I'm trying to reset my password...</p>",
  "attachments": [
    {
      "id": "5b7d9c0e-...",
      "filename": "screenshot.png",
      "content_type": "image/png",
      "size": 128432,
      "url": "https://api.postscale.io/v1/inbound-emails/0c1f2a3b-.../attachments/5b7d9c0e-.../download"
    }
  ],
  "received_at": "2026-04-16T11:22:00Z"
}

Frequently asked questions

How do I point my domain at Postscale?

Add an MX record pointing at mx.postscale.io with priority 10. We verify ownership via a TXT record. The full setup is four DNS records and takes about five minutes.

What happens to attachments?

Attachments are stored separately from the webhook body and returned as authenticated Postscale download URLs. Use your API credentials to fetch them, then copy them into your own storage if you need custom retention.

Can I filter inbound messages?

Yes. Define rules per domain: block senders, reject by subject pattern, auto-respond, or route to different endpoints. Rules run before the webhook fires.

What's the pricing model?

Accepted inbound messages count toward the same monthly email quota as outbound sends. Outbound usage is counted per accepted recipient; inbound usage is counted per accepted message.

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