# Migrate from Amazon SES

The provider-specific half of the [migration guide](/docs/guides/email/migrate): how the SES v2 `SendEmail` call, account-level suppression list, and SNS-based event notifications map onto Bird. Do the steps in the main guide in order — this page is the lookup table for steps 1, 3, and 4.

## Map the send call

SES splits a send across `Destination`, `Content`, and configuration-set plumbing; Bird's [`POST /v1/email/messages`](/docs/api/reference/create-email-message) is one flat payload:

| What it does        | SES (SendEmail v2)              | Bird                                                 |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Sender              | `FromEmailAddress`              | `from`                                               |
| Recipients          | `Destination.*Addresses`        | `to` / `cc` / `bcc` (arrays, max 50 each)            |
| Subject             | `Content.Simple.Subject`        | `subject`                                            |
| Body                | `Content.Simple.Body.Html/Text` | `html` / `text` (at least one)                       |
| Reply-to            | `ReplyToAddresses`              | `reply_to` (array, 1–25)                             |
| Custom headers      | `Content.Simple.Headers`        | `headers` (string → string object)                   |
| Filterable labels   | `EmailTags`                     | `tags` — `{name, value}` pairs, max 20               |
| Round-trip context  | —                               | `metadata` — arbitrary JSON, max 2 KB                |
| Open/click tracking | configuration set               | `track_opens` / `track_clicks` (default `true`)      |
| IP pool             | dedicated IP pool (config set)  | `ip_pool` (`ipp_...` or `ipp_shared`)                |
| Category            | —                               | `category`: `marketing` (default) or `transactional` |

Porting notes:

- **Configuration sets dissolve into per-message fields.** Tracking, IP pool, and event routing were configuration-set concerns on SES; on Bird the first two are payload fields and event routing is a [webhook subscription](/docs/guides/webhooks).
- **Auth changes from SigV4 to a bearer token.** No request signing — `Authorization: Bearer bk_...`. Drop the AWS SDK credential chain from this code path.
- **`Content.Raw` (MIME) has no equivalent** — Bird builds the message from structured fields. If you assemble raw MIME to attach files, send them as Bird's [attachments](/docs/guides/email/attachments) array instead (base64 `content` per file, `content_id` for inline images).
- **SES sandbox ≠ Bird sandbox.** SES's sandbox restricts who you can send to; Bird's [mail sandbox](/docs/guides/email/testing-sandbox) is a simulator with magic addresses — no allowlisting, and nothing is delivered.

## Export suppressions

Export the account-level suppression list and run it through the [import loop](/docs/guides/email/migrate#3-import-suppressions):

- `GET /v2/email/suppressed-destinations` (paginate with `NextToken`; each entry carries `BOUNCE` or `COMPLAINT` as the reason)

## Translate webhook events

SES publishes events through SNS or EventBridge; Bird POSTs signed webhooks directly, so the SNS topic, subscription-confirmation handshake, and message-envelope unwrapping all go away. The event names map like this:

| Outcome            | SES             | Bird                                         |
| ------------------ | --------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| Accepted/processed | `Send`          | `email.accepted` → `email.processed`         |
| Delivered          | `Delivery`      | `email.delivered`                            |
| Temporary failure  | `DeliveryDelay` | `email.deferred`                             |
| Permanent bounce   | `Bounce`        | `email.bounced` / `email.out_of_band_bounce` |
| Spam complaint     | `Complaint`     | `email.complained`                           |
| Blocked/suppressed | —               | `email.rejected`                             |
| Open               | `Open`          | `email.opened`                               |
| Click              | `Click`         | `email.clicked`                              |
| Unsubscribe        | `Subscription`  | `email.list_unsubscribed`                    |

`email.rejected` is new relative to SES: Bird reports suppressed recipients visibly (status `rejected`, `rejection_reason: recipient_suppressed`) rather than counting them into the send-and-bounce cycle — add a handler for it.

In place of SNS message verification, Bird signs per the [Standard Webhooks](https://www.standardwebhooks.com) specification — HMAC headers on the delivery itself; the verification recipe is in [Webhooks & events](/docs/guides/webhooks).

## Cut over

Work through [domains & DNS](/docs/guides/email/migrate#2-re-point-domains-and-dns) and the [sandbox smoke test](/docs/guides/email/migrate#5-verify-in-the-sandbox-before-cutover) in the main guide — both are provider-independent. One SES-specific note for the DNS step: SES's "Easy DKIM" CNAMEs stay in place during the transition — Bird's DKIM TXT record uses its own selector, so the two coexist.

## Next steps

- [Sending domains](/docs/guides/email/sending-domains) — registration, verification lifecycle, and the DNS records you're re-pointing
- [Webhooks & events](/docs/guides/webhooks) — endpoint setup and Standard Webhooks verification
- [Testing sandbox](/docs/guides/email/testing-sandbox) — smoke-test the new integration before cutover
- [Suppressions](/docs/guides/email/suppressions) — confirm your imported list and how Bird maintains it from here