Email Statuses & Delivery Lifecycle

Every email sent through Emalc—whether from an automated broadcast campaign or a transactional API dispatch—progresses through an event-driven lifecycle.

Each status reflects the exact real-time state of an email: from initial queueing and MTA handoff to inbox placement, recipient engagement, or delivery rejection.

Statuses by Feature Category#

Select a feature tab below to inspect delivery behaviors, timeline progressions, and deliverability rules tailored to your immediate needs:

The Delivery Lifecycle#

The standard, successful journey of an email from initial dispatch queueing to inbox placement:

Status	Category	Description
`queued`	Processing	Accepted by Emalc and waiting in the dispatch queue.
`processing`	Processing	Dynamic merge variables and HTML templates are currently being compiled.
`sent`	In Transit	Handed off to upstream Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs).
`delivered`	Successful	Destination mail server successfully accepted the message into the mailbox.

Delivery Timeline Progression#

Queued

Queued in Dispatch Engine

Initial State

The email is accepted by Emalc and enters the workspace dispatch queue. If scheduled for a future timestamp or recipient local-timezone delivery, it securely waits until the dispatch window opens.

Processing

Template Compilation & Variable Merge

Personalization

Emalc compiles HTML templates, merges dynamic recipient variables (like {{first_name}}), wraps links with authenticated tracking domains, and cryptographically signs messages with your verified DKIM and SPF keys.

Sent

Dispatched to Upstream MTAs

MTA Handoff

The fully rendered MIME payload is handed off to global Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs) and actively transmitted toward the recipient's destination Mail Exchange (MX) servers.

Delivered

Accepted into Destination Mailbox

SMTP 250 OK

The recipient's mail server (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Yahoo, etc.) returns a positive 250 2.0.0 OK response, verifying successful placement into the recipient's inbox.

Handling Delivery Delays, Bounces & Errors#

When receiving servers encounter issues or reject messages, Emalc categorizes them into temporary delays or permanent failures:

Status	Category	Description
`delivered_delay`	Temporary	Delayed by receiving server (e.g. greylisting or rate-limiting). Retries automatically.
`soft_bounce`	Temporary Failure	Temporary failure (mailbox full or server busy). Retried automatically for 72 hours.
`bounced`	Hard Failure	Permanent failure (invalid email address, non-existent domain). Address is automatically suppressed.
`failed`	Transport Error	Unexpected network failure or invalid SMTP credentials.
`rendering_failed`	Template Error	Template syntax error or invalid merge tags prevented message compilation.

Failure & Retry Timeline#

Delivery Delay

Temporary Delivery Delay (Greylisting)

Transient Delay

The receiving server is busy or applying anti-spam greylisting, asking the sender to retry shortly. Emalc holds the connection and attempts intelligent retries automatically.

Soft Bounce

Soft Bounce (Temporary Mailbox Full)

72-Hour Auto-Retry

A temporary delivery issue occurred (e.g. recipient mailbox is over quota or server unreachable). Emalc automatically retries delivery with exponential backoff over a 72-hour window. If all retries fail, it converts to a permanent bounce.

Bounced

Hard Bounce (Permanent Delivery Failure)

Auto-Suppression

The email address is invalid, domain has no MX records, or mailbox does not exist. Emalc marks the message as bounced and immediately suppresses the recipient across your workspace to protect your domain reputation.

Failed

Transmission or Rendering Error

Diagnostic State

The dispatch failed before transit due to invalid SMTP credentials, template compilation failure (rendering_failed), or an unreachable network transport.

Hard Bounce vs. Soft Bounce: Key Differences#

Characteristic	Soft Bounce (`soft_bounce`)	Hard Bounce (`bounced`)
Nature	Temporary issue	Permanent failure
Common Causes	Recipient mailbox full, server down, message too large	Invalid email address, domain has no MX records, mailbox deleted
System Action	Emalc retries delivery automatically for up to 72 hours	Immediately terminated and added to Suppression list
Sender Score Impact	Minimal if resolved within retry window	High—excessive hard bounces degrade domain deliverability

Engagement Tracking: Opens & Clicks#

Track reader engagement after successful delivery to measure audience interaction:

Status	State	Category	Description
`opened`		Engagement	Recipient opened email and the transparent 1×1 tracking pixel was fetched.
`clicked`		Engagement	Recipient clicked an authenticated, tracked hyperlink inside the email body.

Engagement Progression#

Opened

Recipient Opens the Email

1×1 Pixel Fetch

When the recipient opens the message, their email client fetches a transparent, zero-byte 1×1 tracking pixel. Emalc logs the exact timestamp, approximate country, and client user-agent.

Clicked

Recipient Clicks a Tracked Hyperlink

302 Redirect

When click tracking is enabled, hyperlinks inside your email are securely routed through your custom tracking domain (e.g. link.yourdomain.com). Emalc records the click event and target URL, then seamlessly redirects the reader in milliseconds.

Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP)

Apple Mail may pre-fetch tracking pixels on Wi-Fi before the user manually opens the email. Emalc's analytics engine intelligently accounts for automated proxy requests to provide accurate open rate reporting.

Compliance, Unsubscribes & Suppressions#

Emalc enforces automated sender reputation protections to keep your workspace inbox delivery rate above 99%:

Status	Category	Description
`unsubscribed`	Preference	Recipient clicked the mandatory unsubscribe link in your campaign footer.
`complained`	Compliance	Recipient marked email as spam (ISP Feedback Loop). Address is instantly suppressed.
`suppressed`	Blocked	Dispatch was intercepted because address is on your workspace suppression blocklist.

Compliance Protection Pipeline#

Delivered

Initial Delivery Verified

Inbox State

The email was accepted into the recipient's mailbox without delivery objections.

Unsubscribed

Recipient Opts Out via Footer Link

Preference Update

The recipient clicks your mandatory unsubscribe link. Emalc instantly updates their contact record to Unsubscribed and removes them from active broadcast campaigns.

Complained

Spam Complaint Reported

ISP Feedback Loop

The recipient clicked "Report Spam" in their email client (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook). Mailbox providers notify Emalc via ISP Feedback Loops (FBL). Emalc immediately suppresses the contact to shield your sender score.

Suppressed

Future Dispatches Intercepted

0 Credits Deducted

If you attempt to send to an address that previously bounced, complained, or unsubscribed, Emalc blocks the dispatch prior to sending. Zero credits are deducted.

Scheduled Broadcasts & Administrative Controls#

Campaigns and transactional emails can be scheduled in advance or paused during execution:

Status	State	Category	Description
`scheduled`		Scheduled	The email is scheduled for delivery at a future date and time specified in the campaign.
`cancelled`		Admin	The email or scheduled campaign was cancelled prior to dispatch execution.

Scheduling Features & Rules#

Recipient's Local Timezone Delivery: If enabled, each email waits in scheduled status until that recipient's local hour arrives.
Pre-Dispatch Edits: While in scheduled status, you can freely edit the subject, body, or dispatch time, or cancel the campaign entirely.

Inspecting Statuses in Your Dashboard#

You can inspect the real-time status of every email across your dashboard:

Emails Dashboard (/emails): The primary workspace view to inspect every email dispatched, preview rendered HTML, track delivery progression, and audit opens and clicks.
Campaign Reports (/campaigns/[id]): In-depth delivery funnels showing aggregate delivery rate, unique open rate, click-through rate, and an interactive recipient activity table.
Activity Logs (/logs): Forensic low-level event audit stream of SMTP responses and webhook triggers.