WordPress on Azure AppService - Email Integration

The email feature in WordPress is crucial for effective communication and user engagement. WordPress websites often require communication with users for various purposes, such as user registrations, password resets, campaigns, and contact form submissions etc. WordPress on App Service has been integrated with Azure Email Communication service to enable email feature.

The email Integration with WordPress on Azure App Service can be achieved in 2 ways:

1. Newly created sites:  Email integration is enabled and configured out of the box.
2. Existing WordPress sites:  It needs an explicit integration setup as per the steps outlined below.  

1.    Configuring Email with New WordPress Websites

• Create WordPress site from WordPress on App Service | Azure portal
• To enhance the user experience, we have enabled email support for all the SKUs (Basic/Standard/Premium) by default.
• As a default option, we offer an Azure managed domain for sending emails from WordPress sites. This seamless integration allows you to easily send emails without the need for additional setup. If you wish to use custom domains with your ACS email addresses, please follow the instructions here: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/communication-services/quickstarts/email/add-custom-verified-domains
• Below are the Communication Service resources created as part of this deployment:  Azure Communication Service, Email Communication Service, Email Communication Domain

2.     Configuring Email with Existing WordPress Websites

Prerequisites: As a user, you already have an active Azure subscription and an active WordPress site hosted on Azure App Service.

(Note: For all the create references below, execute the steps till create/ connect only and do not execute delete/ disconnect actions.)

1. Create the Azure Communication Resource following quick start guide
2. Create the Email communication Resource following the quick start guide
3. Add Azure managed domain to email communication service following the quick start guide.
4. Connect the azure managed domain with azure communication service resource following the quick start guide
5. Go to Azure communication service resource and navigate to keys blade and save the primary key and resource endpoint for later use.

6. Go to the Azure email managed domain resource, navigate to MailFrom Addresses blade.  Click Add, add the MailFrom address and save it. 

7. Enable managed identity authentication for Azure Communication Services Email

Part 1: Enable managed identity to access ACS Email resource

A. Go to Communication service resource > Access Control (IAM)

B. Click on ‘+Add’ and ‘Add role assignment’

C. Select Privileged administrator roles > Contributor

D. Assign access to ‘Managed identity’. Click on ‘+ Select members’. Select the managed identity created in Step 1. Click on ‘Select’.

E. Click on ‘Review + assign’

Part 2: Add Environment variables

1. Go to App Service resource > Settings > Environment variables.
2. Add this application setting:

Note that ENTRA_CLIENT_ID is a crucial environment variable for setting up ACS Email with managed identity. The details are omitted here as they are already covered in the MySQL configuration section. If you are configuring managed identity solely for ACS Email or have skipped the MySQL configuration, ensure you do not overlook this step.

8. Download the App service email plugin from here: Click here.
9. Go to WordPress Admin Dashboard, navigate to plugins tab and then click on add new plugin.
10. Click on Upload Plugin and upload the App service Email plugin zip file (downloaded in above step).
11. Install and activate the plugin.

After installing and activating the App service email plugin, your email setup is fully configured and ready to be utilized for sending emails from your WordPress website.

Note: If you wish to use custom domains with your ACS email addresses, please follow the instructions here: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/communication-services/quickstarts/email/add-custom-verified-domains, and here: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/communication-services/quickstarts/email/add-azure-managed-domains

Support and Feedback 

In case you need any support, you can open a support request at New support request - Microsoft Azure. 

If you have any ideas about how we can make WordPress on Azure App Service better, please post your ideas at Post idea · Community (azure.com)  You can report an issue in Github

or you could email us at wordpressonazure@microsoft.com to start a conversation.