# Email Marketing for Developers

> Broadcast is email marketing built for developers: self-host it, drive it from a REST API and CLI, bring your own ESP, and own your data, for a one-time license, not a subscription.

Source: https://sendbroadcast.net/use-cases/developers

1. [Use Cases](https://sendbroadcast.net/use-cases)
2. /
3. Developers

# Email marketing for developers

Self-host it, drive it from a REST API and CLI, bring your own email provider, and own your data. Broadcast is the email platform built for people who'd rather run software than rent it, for a one-time license, not a subscription.

[Buy Broadcast for $250](https://sendbroadcast.net/#pricing) [Read the docs](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs)

add a subscriber via the API

```
$ curl -X POST https://mail.yourdomain.com/api/v1/subscribers.json \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $BROADCAST_TOKEN" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "email": "dev@example.com",
      "tags": ["signup", "trial"],
      "custom_data": { "plan": "pro" }
    }'

{ "id": 4213, "email": "dev@example.com", "is_active": true }
```

## Built the way developers want their tools

Own the stack, automate everything, and never hit a per-subscriber paywall.

### Self-hosted, one command

Runs as a Docker stack on your own Ubuntu server: app, jobs, and Postgres, no external services to wire up. You control deploys, backups, and upgrades.

### REST API for everything

Manage subscribers, tags, custom data, and sending over a clean JSON API with token auth. Filter, paginate, and automate without touching the UI.

### CLI & agent-friendly

Script campaigns and subscriber management from the command line, or let an AI agent do it over the API and MCP. See the [agents & CLI docs](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/agents-cli).

### Bring your own ESP

Send through Amazon SES, Postmark, Mailgun, SendGrid, or any SMTP relay, and switch any time. No lock-in. See [which ESP to pick](https://sendbroadcast.net/compare/ses-vs-postmark-vs-mailgun).

### Transactional + marketing

Send password resets and receipts through the same platform as your newsletters and drip campaigns: one system, one set of credentials.

### You own the data

Subscribers, events, and sending reputation live in your database on your server. Export it, query it, back it up. It's yours.

## Wire it into your app in minutes

Add subscribers on signup, tag them by behaviour, and trigger sequences, straight from your application code. The API uses bearer-token auth and returns JSON.

tag a subscriber after they upgrade

```
$ curl -X POST https://mail.yourdomain.com/api/v1/subscribers.json \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $BROADCAST_TOKEN" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{ "email": "user@example.com", "tags": ["customer"], "custom_data": { "plan": "enterprise" } }'
```

Full reference: [Subscribers API](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/api-subscribers) · [Agents & CLI](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/agents-cli) · [all docs](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs).

## No per-subscriber tax on your side projects

Hosted platforms charge more as your list grows. Broadcast is a one-time $250 license with unlimited subscribers: run it for your startup, your newsletter, and three side projects without the bill creeping up. Curious about the math? Read [what it costs to send 100,000 emails a month](https://sendbroadcast.net/compare/cost-to-send-100000-emails) or [run the calculator](https://sendbroadcast.net/calculator).

## Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Broadcast exposes a JSON REST API with bearer-token auth for subscribers, tags, custom data, filtering, and sending. See the [API docs](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/api-subscribers) for the full reference.

Yes. Broadcast handles transactional sends (receipts, password resets, notifications) alongside marketing campaigns, through the same install and your chosen ESP.

A small Ubuntu VPS (from providers like Hetzner or DigitalOcean) runs it comfortably. It ships as a Docker stack with Postgres and background jobs included, with no Redis or external services to manage. See the [installation guide](https://sendbroadcast.net/installation).

Yes. Because everything is available over the API and CLI, agents can manage subscribers and campaigns programmatically. See the [agents & CLI docs](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/agents-cli).

## Run your own email platform

Own it, automate it, and send through any provider, for a one-time license.

[Try the live sandbox](https://demo.sendbroadcast.net) [Buy Broadcast for $250](https://sendbroadcast.net/#pricing)

### Related

[Email for SaaS Onboarding, retention, product updates](https://sendbroadcast.net/use-cases/saas) [Transactional Email Receipts, resets, notifications via API](https://sendbroadcast.net/use-cases/transactional) [Self-Hosted Email Software How Broadcast compares to OSS options](https://sendbroadcast.net/self-hosted/email-marketing-software)