MX record for Amazon SES receiving
Amazon SES inbound receiving uses an MX record to route mail into the SES receiving endpoint for the region where your receipt rules are configured.
Use the correct region
The MX target is region-specific. For example, an SES receiving endpoint can be inbound-smtp.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com when the receiving configuration is in Asia Pacific (Singapore).
The MX hostname must match the region where receipt rules and downstream actions are configured.
Receiving is a pipeline
An MX record only directs messages to SES. You also need an active receipt rule and a destination such as S3, SNS/Lambda or your application pipeline.
Test with a real message and inspect SES receipt events before relying on the mailbox.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using an endpoint from a different SES region.
- Assuming an MX record alone stores messages.
- Changing existing MX records without planning mail migration.
Frequently asked questions
What priority should I use?
Use the priority specified by your design; a common single-provider setup uses 10.
Does SES inbound require production access?
Receiving setup is separate from the outbound SES sandbox restriction; confirm current SES account capabilities in the AWS console.