Email Templates

STING-CE uses custom-branded email templates for all authentication flows. These templates are styled to match the STING platform design with a modern dark theme and glass-morphism effects.

Overview

Ory Kratos sends emails for:

Login codes - Passwordless authentication
Registration - Account verification codes
Verification - Email address confirmation
Recovery - Password reset links

All templates are located in:

STING/kratos/courier-templates/

Template Files

Flow	Body Template	Subject Template
Login Code	`login_code.body.gotmpl`	`login_code.subject.gotmpl`
Registration	`registration_code.body.gotmpl`	`registration_code.subject.gotmpl`
Verification	`verification.valid.email.body.gotmpl`	`verification.valid.email.subject.gotmpl`
Recovery	`recovery.valid.email.body.gotmpl`	`recovery.valid.email.subject.gotmpl`

Additional Templates

File	Purpose
`*.body.plaintext.gotmpl`	Plain text fallback for HTML emails
`*.body.sms.gotmpl`	SMS message templates
`.invalid..gotmpl`	Error case templates

Configuration

Enabling Custom Templates

Templates are enabled via two configurations:

1. Docker Compose Volume Mount (docker-compose.yml):

kratos:
  volumes:
    - ${INSTALL_DIR}/kratos/courier-templates:/etc/config/kratos/courier-templates:ro

2. Kratos Configuration (kratos.yml):

courier:
  smtp:
    from_address: noreply@your-domain.com
    from_name: STING Platform
  template_override_path: /etc/config/kratos/courier-templates/

SMTP Configuration

Email sending is configured in env/kratos.env:

# SMTP Server
COURIER_SMTP_CONNECTION_URI=smtp://mailpit:1025/?skip_ssl_verify=true

# For production (example with SendGrid):
# COURIER_SMTP_CONNECTION_URI=smtps://apikey:YOUR_KEY@smtp.sendgrid.net:465

Template Syntax

Templates use Go’s text/template syntax with Kratos-specific variables.

Available Variables

Variable	Description
`{{ .To }}`	Recipient email address
`{{ .RecoveryURL }}`	Password recovery link
`{{ .VerificationURL }}`	Email verification link
`{{ .RecoveryCode }}`	6-digit recovery code
`{{ .VerificationCode }}`	6-digit verification code
`{{ .LoginCode }}`	6-digit login code
`{{ .RegistrationCode }}`	6-digit registration code
`{{ .Identity }}`	Full identity object
`{{ .Identity.traits.name }}`	User’s name from traits

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <title>🐝 STING Platform - Your Access Code</title>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="glass-card">
        <h1>Your Login Code</h1>
        <div class="code-display">
            {{ .LoginCode }}
        </div>
        <p>This code expires in 15 minutes.</p>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Example: Subject Template

Your STING Login Code: {{ .LoginCode }}

Design Guidelines

STING email templates follow these design principles:

Color Palette

Element	Color
Background	`#0f172a` (slate-900)
Card background	`rgba(51, 65, 85, 0.8)`
Primary text	`#f1f5f9` (slate-100)
Accent (amber)	`#f59e0b`
Code background	`#1e293b`

Typography

Font: Inter, system fonts fallback
Headings: Bold, larger size
Body: Regular, 1.6 line-height

Components

Glass cards: Backdrop blur with subtle border
Code display: Monospace, large, amber accent
Buttons: Amber gradient with hover effects

Testing Emails

Development Mode

In development, emails are captured by Mailpit:

Start with dev profile:
```
docker compose --profile dev up -d
```
Access Mailpit UI:
```
http://localhost:8025
```
All outgoing emails appear in Mailpit for inspection.

Testing Templates

To test a specific template:

Trigger the flow (login, registration, etc.)
Check Mailpit for the email
Verify styling renders correctly
Check plain text fallback

Customization

Changing Branding

To customize for your organization:

Logo: Replace the SVG in templates or add an <img> tag:

<img src="https://your-domain.com/logo.png" alt="Logo" />

Colors: Update the CSS variables in the <style> block
Text: Modify copy in the HTML body
Footer: Update company info and links

Adding New Templates

Create files following naming convention:

your_flow.body.gotmpl
your_flow.subject.gotmpl

Reference in kratos.yml if needed
Restart Kratos:
```
docker compose restart kratos
```

Troubleshooting

Emails Not Using Custom Templates

Symptoms: Emails appear as plain text without styling

Causes & Fixes:

Volume not mounted:

# Check if templates are visible in container
docker exec sting-ce-kratos ls /etc/config/kratos/courier-templates/

Missing template_override_path: Add to kratos.yml:

courier:
  template_override_path: /etc/config/kratos/courier-templates/

Container needs restart:
```
docker compose restart kratos
```

Emails Not Sending

Check SMTP configuration:

docker exec sting-ce-kratos env | grep SMTP

Check Kratos logs:

docker logs sting-ce-kratos --tail 50 | grep -i mail

Verify Mailpit is running (dev mode):
```
docker ps | grep mailpit
```

Template Syntax Errors

If emails fail to render:

Check Kratos logs for template errors
Validate Go template syntax
Ensure all variables are spelled correctly
Test with minimal template first

Best Practices

Always provide plaintext fallback - Some email clients block HTML
Test across email clients - Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail render differently
Keep templates simple - Complex CSS may not render
Use inline styles - External CSS often stripped
Version control templates - Track changes in git
Document customizations - Note what you changed and why

Last updated: January 20, 2026