Frequently Asked Questions
Get quick answers to the most common questions about MinuteMail’s temporary email service. Whether you’re a developer testing workflows, a QA engineer automating tests, or a privacy-conscious user, find the information you need below.
Getting Started
Section titled “Getting Started”What problem does MinuteMail solve for developers testing email workflows?
Section titled “What problem does MinuteMail solve for developers testing email workflows?”MinuteMail solves the problem of testing email workflows without requiring permanent email accounts. It provides temporary email addresses that can be created programmatically via API or SDK, allowing developers to test signup flows, email verification, password resets, and other email-dependent features in their applications.
The ephemeral nature (1-60 minutes lifetime) ensures test data doesn’t accumulate, and the archiving feature allows reusing the same email address for repeated tests like password recovery.
How do I get started with the SDK? What’s the basic authentication flow?
Section titled “How do I get started with the SDK? What’s the basic authentication flow?”To get started, install the SDK from PyPI:
pip install minutemail-sdkThen initialize the client with your API key:
from minutemail import MinuteMailClient
client = MinuteMailClient(api_key="mmak_YOUR_API_KEY")You can obtain API keys from the web platform. The SDK requires an API key for all authenticated operations, while the web interface uses your account login credentials.
Learn more in the SDK Getting Started guide.
Privacy & Security
Section titled “Privacy & Security”Does MinuteMail track my IP address?
Section titled “Does MinuteMail track my IP address?”No. MinuteMail explicitly does NOT store IP addresses in their databases. IP addresses may appear briefly in application logs for debugging, but these logs are ephemeral and automatically purged. They are never used for tracking or profiling.
What happens to my data when the temporary mailbox expires?
Section titled “What happens to my data when the temporary mailbox expires?”All data is permanently deleted. When a mailbox expires (after 1-60 minutes), the mailbox, all messages, attachments, headers, and metadata are automatically and permanently removed. There’s no recovery option.
This enforces data minimization by design—exactly what privacy-conscious users want.
Does MinuteMail sell or share my data with third parties?
Section titled “Does MinuteMail sell or share my data with third parties?”No. MinuteMail’s privacy policy explicitly states they do NOT sell, share for marketing, or use your data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose unrelated to providing the service.
You’re using a tool, not becoming a product. No data brokers, no ad networks, no retargeting.
Can I use MinuteMail without creating an account?
Section titled “Can I use MinuteMail without creating an account?”Yes, completely. Anonymous users only need a temporary session ID (stored client-side in your browser) that expires after 5 minutes of inactivity. No email, phone number, name, or any PII is required.
True anonymous usage without handing over your identity.
Pricing & Plans
Section titled “Pricing & Plans”How does pricing work? Is there a free tier?
Section titled “How does pricing work? Is there a free tier?”MinuteMail offers four pricing tiers:
- Free ($0/month): 100 API calls/day, 3 active mailboxes, 5 archive slots - perfect for testing and personal use
- Hobbyist ($5/month or $48/year): 1,000 API calls/day, 10 active mailboxes, 20 archive slots
- Pro ($15/month or $144/year): 10,000 API calls/day, 50 mailboxes, 200 archive slots, 5 custom domains
- Team ($49/month or $470/year): 50,000 shared API calls/day, 200 mailboxes, 1,000 archive slots, 20 custom domains, 5 team member seats
See the full pricing comparison for details.
Technical Details
Section titled “Technical Details”What is the mailbox lifecycle and how long do messages persist?
Section titled “What is the mailbox lifecycle and how long do messages persist?”Mailboxes are always ephemeral with a fixed lifetime between 1 and 60 minutes. Messages exist only while the mailbox is active and are automatically and permanently deleted when the mailbox expires.
However, you can archive a mailbox to reserve the email address - archiving preserves the address but deletes all messages. When an archived address is reactivated, a new empty mailbox is created with the same email address, enabling controlled reuse without storing historical data.
Learn more in Core Concepts.
What happens when I hit my API rate limits or quotas?
Section titled “What happens when I hit my API rate limits or quotas?”When you exceed your quota, you’ll receive a 429 error code with either:
rate_limit_exceeded- Too many requests (implement backoff)quota_exceeded- Usage quota exceeded (upgrade plan or wait for reset)
The SDK provides specific error handling for these cases. Daily API call quotas reset at 00:00 UTC. The usage tracking page shows real-time progress indicators with color coding to help you monitor and plan upgrades before hitting limits.
See SDK Error Handling for implementation details.
Can I use my own custom domain for temporary mailboxes?
Section titled “Can I use my own custom domain for temporary mailboxes?”Yes, on Pro and Team plans. To enable a custom domain, you must configure:
- MX record pointing to MinuteMail
- TXT record containing a verification key
The TXT record proves domain ownership and prevents unauthorized domain usage. Once verified, the domain can be used to create temporary mailboxes. Mailboxes remain temporary and ephemeral with the same lifecycle rules.
- Pro plan supports 5 custom domains
- Team plan supports 20 custom domains
See Custom Domains for setup instructions.
More Questions?
Section titled “More Questions?”Can’t find what you’re looking for? Check out our detailed documentation:
- Overview - Core concepts and architecture
- SDK Documentation - Python SDK guide
- API Documentation - REST API reference
- Web Interface - Using the web platform
For support, contact us at support@minutemail.co