# Implement Email Notification System for Certificate Generation

[itsmnx]

Overview

Currently, the system generates certificates successfully, but students are not notified after their certificate has been issued.

This issue aims to implement an automatic email notification feature that sends an email to the student whenever a certificate is generated by the admin.

The implementation should be secure, modular, and should not interrupt the certificate generation workflow if email delivery fails.

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Objectives

• Integrate email sending functionality using Nodemailer
• Send automated email notifications after certificate generation
• Add SMTP configuration support using environment variables
• Ensure proper error handling for failed email delivery

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Requirements

Backend

• Configure Nodemailer SMTP transporter
• Create a reusable email service utility
• Trigger email notification after successful certificate generation
• Keep sensitive credentials inside environment variables
• Ensure certificate generation continues even if email sending fails

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Environment Variables

Add the following variables to .env.example:

SMTP_HOST=
SMTP_PORT=
SMTP_EMAIL=
SMTP_PASSWORD=

Expected Email Content

The email may include:

• Student Name
• Certificate Title
• Verification ID
• Verification or Download Link

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Expected Outcome

After implementation:

• Students should receive an email notification after certificate generation
• Email should contain certificate-related details
• Existing certificate generation functionality should remain unaffected
• The system should handle email failures gracefully without crashing

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Screenshots / Proof Required

Contributor must attach screenshots or proof showing:

• Email received successfully by the student
• Email subject and certificate details
• Backend console/log showing successful email delivery
• Certificate generation still working properly

[Muskankr]

Hi @itsmnx, I would like to work on this issue as NSOC'26 Contributor. Could you please assign this to me?

[BhelPuriPanda]

Hi @itsmnx, I’d like to work on this issue. I’m interested in implementing the Nodemailer integration with a reusable email service and proper error handling while ensuring the certificate generation workflow remains unaffected. Please assign this issue to me if it’s available. Thanks!

[itsmnx]

hello @Muskankr @BhelPuriPanda
Thanks for your interest.

Before assigning this issue, please share a brief implementation plan explaining:

• Which files/modules you will modify
• What approach you will use
• How you will ensure existing functionality does not break
• What error handling or edge cases you will cover
• Whether you will update documentation/tests if needed

Once the approach is clear and aligned with the project scope, I can assign the issue.

[Anushka-045]

Hi @itsmnx, I'd like to work on this as an NSoC'26 contributor! 🚀

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🗂️ Files I'll Modify

File	What I'll do
backend/utils/email.util.js	Add reusable sendCertificateEmail() using Nodemailer
backend/controllers/admin.controller.js	Call email function after certificate is generated
.env.example	Add SMTP_HOST, SMTP_PORT, SMTP_EMAIL, SMTP_PASSWORD

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⚙️ Flow

1. Admin clicks "Generate Certificate"
2. Certificate created & saved to DB
3. sendCertificateEmail(student) is triggered
4. If email succeeds → Student receives email with certificate details
5. If email fails → Error is caught & logged — certificate generation is not affected
6. API returns success response in both cases

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🛡️ Edge Cases Covered

• Missing student email → skip + log warning
• SMTP server down → caught gracefully, no crash
• Wrong credentials → handled without breaking the flow
• Duplicate email prevention → can add sent flag on certificate record

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📄 Docs

.env.example will be updated with all required SMTP variables.

Please assign this to me. Thank you!

[BhelPuriPanda]

Hi @itsmnx, I reviewed the current implementation and here’s my planned approach for this issue:

Files / Modules I Plan to Modify

• utils/email.util.js
• .env.example
• local backend .env configuration (for testing)

Approach

• Refactor the existing Nodemailer transporter configuration to use the required SMTP environment variables:
  SMTP_HOST, SMTP_PORT, SMTP_EMAIL, and SMTP_PASSWORD
• Remove the current hardcoded Gmail service dependency and make the transporter provider-agnostic using standard SMTP configuration
• Keep the email logic modular inside email.util.js
• Ensure the email content includes certificate-related details such as student name, certificate title/ID, and verification/download link

Ensuring Existing Functionality Remains Stable

I checked the current certificate generation flow and noticed the email notification call is already wrapped in a try...catch block inside the certificate generation workflow. This is good because certificate generation will continue even if email delivery fails, which matches the issue requirements.

I’ll ensure my changes preserve this behavior and avoid interrupting the existing certificate generation flow.

Error Handling / Edge Cases

I’ll handle cases such as:

• Invalid or missing SMTP credentials
• SMTP connection/authentication failures
• Missing student email
• Email sending failures without crashing the server

Errors will be logged properly while still allowing certificate generation to complete successfully.

Documentation / Testing

• Add/update .env.example with the required SMTP variables
• Manually test successful email delivery
• Verify graceful failure handling using invalid SMTP credentials
• Confirm certificate generation still works even when email sending fails

Please let me know if you’d like any adjustments to the implementation approach.

[ronaksharma2908]

Hi @itsmnx , I would like to work on this issue . Please assign this to me.

[simransingh-dev]

Hi @itsmnx, I would like to work on this issue. Can you assign it to me?

[BhelPuriPanda]

Hi @itsmnx, I have submitted my Plan of Action. Kindly review it !