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Show HN: FreeResend – Drop-In Resend Replacement Using Amazon SES
I built FreeResend after my email costs across multiple side projects started getting expensive with Resend (which I still think is fantastic, btw).
*What it is:* A self-hosted, open-source alternative to Resend that uses Amazon SES for actual email delivery while maintaining 100% API compatibility.
*Why it matters:*
- 85% cost reduction (Amazon SES rates: $0.10/1k emails vs premium pricing)
- True drop-in replacement - just set RESEND_BASE_URL env var
- Auto-creates DNS records if you use Digital Ocean (optional)
- Complete control over your email infrastructure
*Technical stack:*
- Next.js 15 + TypeScript
- Direct PostgreSQL (no external DB services)
- AWS SES SDK v3
- Digital Ocean API integration
- Docker ready
*The magic moment:* Add domain → auto-create 7 DNS records → sending emails in <60 seconds vs 15+ minutes of manual DNS setup.
I've been running it in production across multiple projects for months. MIT licensed, well-documented, includes test scripts.
*GitHub:* https://github.com/eibrahim/freeresend https://github.com/eibrahim/freeresend
*Medium post:* https://medium.com/@eibrahim/introducing-freeresend-the-open-source-self-hosted-alternative-to-resend-a8a33ddacce3 https://medium.com/@eibrahim/introducing-freeresend-the-open...