refactor: switch from Mailgun to AhaSend for email notifications

- Remove Mailgun dependencies
- Add AhaSend REST API integration
- Update configuration with AhaSend credentials
- Note: API returning 'invalid credentials' - may need AhaSend support verification

Credentials configured:
- Account ID: 8a14f9a5-6e6d-47c9-b5d6-a687265b36a3
- API Key: aha-sk-A0c9WOA8cs3RpvkAGwHOP9o6pHx-gLTUki1gSWVeC_6kd86-Npn077zta-rvg9oo

.kiro/specs/beach-litter-mapping/tasks.md

@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@
   - Implement 6-hour cache expiration
   - _Requirements: 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6_
 
-- [x] 33. Implement notification system
+- [ ] 33. Implement notification system
   - Create notification service with area-of-interest matching
   - Build email notification integration (SendGrid)
   - Implement in-app notification storage and retrieval

NOTIFICATION_SYSTEM_IMPLEMENTATION.md

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ The notification system enables real-time user engagement by notifying users abo
 - **cleanupOldNotifications**: Remove read notifications older than 30 days
 
 #### EmailService (`server/src/services/emailService.ts`)
-- **Mailgun Integration**: Uses Mailgun API for email delivery
+- **AhaSend Integration**: Uses AhaSend REST API for email delivery
 - **sendEmail**: Generic email sending function
 - **sendNotificationEmail**: Formatted notification emails with HTML templates
 - **testConnection**: Verify email configuration
@@ -99,25 +99,27 @@ FRONTEND_URL="http://localhost:5173"
 TEST_EMAIL="test@example.com"
 ```
 
-### Mailgun Setup
+### AhaSend Setup
 
-1. **API Key**: `dd27be7a81dd7b0980ada31fec9a9bd9-e80d8b76-fd80c63b`
-2. **Domain**: `sandbox1835a1917b07443f8c1ca858689c42ea.mailgun.org`
-3. **From Email**: `Beach Litter Platform <noreply@sandbox1835a1917b07443f8c1ca858689c42ea.mailgun.org>`
+1. **API Key**: Get your API key from AhaSend dashboard
+2. **From Email**: `Beach Litter Platform <noreply@beachlitter.ie>`
+3. **API Endpoint**: `https://api.ahasend.com/v1`
 
-#### Sandbox Mode Authorization
+#### Getting Started with AhaSend
 
-**IMPORTANT**: Mailgun sandbox domains require you to authorize recipient email addresses before sending.
+1. Sign up at https://ahasend.com/
+2. Verify your sending domain
+3. Get your API key from the dashboard
+4. Add the API key to your `.env` file:
+   ```env
+   AHASEND_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
+   ```
 
-To authorize recipients:
-1. Go to https://app.mailgun.com/
-2. Navigate to Sending → Domains
-3. Click on your sandbox domain: `sandbox1835a1917b07443f8c1ca858689c42ea.mailgun.org`
-4. Go to "Authorized Recipients" section
-5. Add email addresses you want to test with (e.g., `psbailey31@gmail.com`)
-6. Recipients will receive a confirmation email - they must click the link to authorize
-
-**For Production**: Use a verified custom domain instead of sandbox to send to any email address without authorization.
+**Benefits of AhaSend**:
+- No sandbox restrictions - send to any email
+- Simple REST API integration
+- Good deliverability rates
+- Straightforward pricing
 
 ## Testing
 
@@ -231,16 +233,13 @@ Emails include:
 
 ### Emails Not Sending
 
-1. **Check Mailgun API key is correct**: Verify in `.env` file
-2. **Verify domain is configured**: Should be `sandbox1835a1917b07443f8c1ca858689c42ea.mailgun.org`
-3. **Authorize recipients for sandbox**: 
-   - Go to https://app.mailgun.com/
-   - Navigate to your sandbox domain
-   - Add authorized recipients (they must confirm via email)
-   - Error "Forbidden" means recipient is not authorized
-4. **Review server logs**: Check for detailed error messages
-5. **Test email service**: Run `npx tsx src/scripts/testEmail.ts`
-6. **For production**: Use a verified custom domain to avoid sandbox restrictions
+1. **Check AhaSend API key is correct**: Verify in `.env` file
+2. **Verify domain is configured**: Check your sending domain in AhaSend dashboard
+3. **Check API response**: Review error messages in server logs
+4. **Verify email format**: Ensure from/to emails are valid
+5. **Review server logs**: Check for detailed error messages
+6. **Test email service**: Run `npx tsx src/scripts/testEmail.ts`
+7. **Check AhaSend status**: Visit AhaSend dashboard for account status
 
 ### Notifications Not Appearing
 

server/.env.example

@@ -20,9 +20,8 @@ REDIS_URL="redis://localhost:6379"
 OPENWEATHER_API_KEY="your_openweather_api_key_here"
 # Optional: STORMGLASS_API_KEY="your_stormglass_api_key_here" (10 free requests/day for tide data)
 
-# Email Notifications (Mailgun)
-MAILGUN_API_KEY="dd27be7a81dd7b0980ada31fec9a9bd9-e80d8b76-fd80c63b"
-MAILGUN_DOMAIN="sandbox1835a1917b07443f8c1ca858689c42ea.mailgun.org"
-FROM_EMAIL="Beach Litter Platform <noreply@sandbox1835a1917b07443f8c1ca858689c42ea.mailgun.org>"
+# Email Notifications (AhaSend)
+AHASEND_API_KEY="your_ahasend_api_key_here"
+FROM_EMAIL="Beach Litter Platform <noreply@beachlitter.ie>"
 FRONTEND_URL="http://localhost:5173"
 TEST_EMAIL="test@example.com"

server/package.json

@@ -28,12 +28,11 @@
     "exifr": "^7.1.3",
     "express": "^4.21.1",
     "express-validator": "^7.2.0",
-    "form-data": "^4.0.4",
     "helmet": "^8.0.0",
     "json2csv": "^6.0.0-alpha.2",
-    "mailgun.js": "^12.1.1",
     "multer": "^1.4.5-lts.1",
     "node-cron": "^4.2.1",
+    "nodemailer": "^7.0.10",
     "redis": "^5.9.0",
     "zod": "^3.23.8"
   },
@@ -44,6 +43,7 @@
     "@types/multer": "^1.4.12",
     "@types/node": "^22.9.0",
     "@types/node-cron": "^3.0.11",
+    "@types/nodemailer": "^7.0.3",
     "prisma": "^5.22.0",
     "tsx": "^4.19.2",
     "typescript": "^5.6.3"

server/src/scripts/testEmail.ts

@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ async function testEmail() {
   console.log('📧 Testing Email Service with Mailgun\n');
 
   console.log('Configuration:');
-  console.log(`  API Key: ${process.env.MAILGUN_API_KEY?.substring(0, 20)}...`);
-  console.log(`  Domain: ${process.env.MAILGUN_DOMAIN}`);
+  console.log(`  API Key: ${process.env.AHASEND_API_KEY?.substring(0, 30)}...`);
+  console.log(`  Account ID: ${process.env.AHASEND_ACCOUNT_ID}`);
   console.log(`  From: ${process.env.FROM_EMAIL}`);
   console.log('');
 
@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@ async function testEmail() {
 
   console.log('✅ Email testing completed!');
   console.log('');
-  console.log('Note: If using Mailgun sandbox domain, you need to add authorized recipients');
-  console.log('in your Mailgun dashboard: https://app.mailgun.com/');
+  console.log('Note: Make sure you have a valid AhaSend API key configured');
+  console.log('Get your API key from: https://ahasend.com/');
 }
 
 testEmail().catch(console.error);

server/src/services/emailService.ts

@@ -1,15 +1,8 @@
-import Mailgun from 'mailgun.js';
-import formData from 'form-data';
+import axios from 'axios';
 
-const mailgun = new Mailgun(formData);
-
-// Initialize Mailgun client
-const mg = mailgun.client({
-  username: 'api',
-  key: process.env.MAILGUN_API_KEY || 'dd27be7a81dd7b0980ada31fec9a9bd9-e80d8b76-fd80c63b',
-});
-
-const MAILGUN_DOMAIN = process.env.MAILGUN_DOMAIN || 'sandbox1835a1917b07443f8c1ca858689c42ea.mailgun.org';
+// AhaSend API configuration
+const AHASEND_API_KEY = process.env.AHASEND_API_KEY || 'aha-sk-A0c9WOA8cs3RpvkAGwHOP9o6pHx-gLTUki1gSWVeC_6kd86-Npn077zta-rvg9oo';
+const AHASEND_ACCOUNT_ID = process.env.AHASEND_ACCOUNT_ID || '8a14f9a5-6e6d-47c9-b5d6-a687265b36a3';
 const FROM_EMAIL = process.env.FROM_EMAIL || 'Beach Litter Platform <noreply@beachlitter.ie>';
 
 interface EmailData {
@@ -21,24 +14,49 @@ interface EmailData {
 
 export class EmailService {
   /**
-   * Send an email using Mailgun
+   * Send an email using AhaSend REST API
    */
   async sendEmail(data: EmailData): Promise<boolean> {
     try {
-      const messageData = {
-        from: FROM_EMAIL,
-        to: data.to,
+      // Parse from email
+      const fromMatch = FROM_EMAIL.match(/<(.+)>/);
+      const fromEmail = fromMatch ? fromMatch[1] : FROM_EMAIL;
+      const fromName = FROM_EMAIL.replace(/<.+>/, '').trim();
+
+      const payload = {
+        to: [{ email: data.to }],
+        from: { 
+          email: fromEmail,
+          name: fromName || 'Beach Litter Platform'
+        },
         subject: data.subject,
-        text: data.text,
-        html: data.html || this.generateHtmlFromText(data.text),
+        text_body: data.text,
+        html_body: data.html || this.generateHtmlFromText(data.text),
       };
 
-      const response = await mg.messages.create(MAILGUN_DOMAIN, messageData);
+      console.log('[Email] Sending request to AhaSend API...');
+      console.log('[Email] API Key:', AHASEND_API_KEY.substring(0, 30) + '...');
+      console.log('[Email] Account ID:', AHASEND_ACCOUNT_ID);
+
+      const response = await axios.post(
+        `https://api.ahasend.com/v1/email`,
+        payload,
+        {
+          headers: {
+            'x-api-key': AHASEND_API_KEY,
+            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
+          },
+        }
+      );
       
-      console.log(`[Email] Successfully sent to ${data.to}:`, response.id);
+      console.log(`[Email] Successfully sent to ${data.to}:`, response.data);
       return true;
     } catch (error: any) {
-      console.error(`[Email] Failed to send to ${data.to}:`, error.message);
+      console.error(`[Email] Failed to send to ${data.to}:`, error.response?.data || error.message);
+      if (error.response) {
+        console.error('[Email] Response status:', error.response.status);
+        console.error('[Email] Response headers:', error.response.headers);
+      }
       return false;
     }
   }
@@ -153,13 +171,13 @@ To manage your notification preferences, visit your profile settings.
       // Send a test email to verify configuration
       const testEmail = process.env.TEST_EMAIL || 'test@example.com';
       
-      await this.sendEmail({
+      const success = await this.sendEmail({
         to: testEmail,
         subject: 'Beach Litter Platform - Email Test',
         text: 'This is a test email from the Beach Litter Mapping Platform. If you received this, email notifications are working correctly!',
       });
 
-      return true;
+      return success;
     } catch (error: any) {
       console.error('[Email] Connection test failed:', error.message);
       return false;