---
title: "Replacing laminas-mail with Symfony mailer in dot-mail"
description: "Why and how Dotkernel replaced the abandoned laminas/laminas-mail package with symfony/mailer inside dotkernel/dot-mail, including configuration changes and the upgrade path to version 5."
author: "Florin Bidirean"
date_published: "2025-01-08"
canonical_url: "https://www.dotkernel.com/dotkernel/replacing-laminas-mail-with-symfony-mailer-in-dot-mail/"
category: "Dotkernel"
language: "en"
---

# Replacing laminas-mail with Symfony mailer in dot-mail

## TL;DR

The Laminas Technical Steering Committee decided on 2023-12-04 to abandon laminas/laminas-mail.
Dotkernel responded by replacing it with symfony/mailer inside the dotkernel/dot-mail package (version 5), aiming for minimal impact on existing projects - calls to send mail stay the same, though mime and imap related functionality is removed.

## What prompted the change

According to the Laminas Technical Steering Committee minutes of 2023-12-04, laminas/laminas-mail was going to be abandoned: nobody was available to maintain it, and alternatives already existed in the ecosystem:

| Purpose | Package |
|---|---|
| Interacting with IMAP | [ddeboer/imap](https://github.com/ddeboer/imap) |
| Parsing MIME messages | [zbateson/mail-mime-parser](https://github.com/zbateson/mail-mime-parser) |
| Sending mail | [symfony/mailer](https://github.com/symfony/mailer) |

## How Dotkernel handles the issue

The Dotkernel team opted to replace laminas/laminas-mail in the [dotkernel/dot-mail](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail) package.
This meant revising the code, including configuration files, while trying to have minimal impact on existing projects: the calls to send mail remain the same, even though some lesser-used functionality like mime and imap is lost.

## Technical approach

The switch from laminas/laminas-mail to symfony/mailer in dotkernel/dot-mail is covered across these pull requests:

- [dot-mail PR 65](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail/pull/65/files)
- [dot-mail PR 66](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail/pull/66/files)
- [dot-mail PR 67](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail/pull/67/files)
- [dot-mail PR 69](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail/pull/69/files)

> Function definition changes are not covered in the article.

The `mail.global.php` configuration file was revised to remove features that are no longer available and to make it easier to configure.
The mail transport can be any class implementing `Symfony\Component\Mailer\Transport\TransportInterface`; standard aliases are `sendmail` (`Symfony\Component\Mailer\Transport\SendmailTransport`) and `esmtp` (`Symfony\Component\Mailer\Transport\Smtp\EsmtpTransport`), defaulting to `sendmail`.
`smtp_options` are used only when the esmtp adapter is used, and there is a `log` option to log sent emails.

Use ONE of the below transporters, based on your server configuration:

```php
'transport' => 'sendmail',
```

OR

```php
'transport' => 'esmtp',
```

Sendmail is set as the default mail transport.

## How to update dotkernel/dot-mail from version 3 or 4 to version 5

1. Download the new [mail configuration file](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail/blob/5.0/config/mail.global.php.dist).
2. Add the values you configured for your project, focusing on `transport`, `message_options` and `smtp_options`, then replace your old configuration file.
3. In your `composer.json`, update to `"dotkernel/dot-mail": "^5.0.0"` and run `composer update`.

At this point, `mime` and `imap` related functionality is removed.

## FAQ

**Q: Why was laminas/laminas-mail replaced?**
A: The Laminas Technical Steering Committee decided on 2023-12-04 that laminas/laminas-mail would be abandoned because there was nobody to maintain it, and several alternatives were already available in the ecosystem.

**Q: What alternatives were identified for the abandoned laminas-mail package?**
A: The alternatives mentioned are ddeboer/imap for interacting with IMAP, zbateson/mail-mime-parser for parsing MIME messages, and symfony/mailer for sending mail.

**Q: How did Dotkernel handle the removal of laminas-mail in dot-mail?**
A: The Dotkernel team replaced laminas/laminas-mail with symfony/mailer inside the dotkernel/dot-mail package, revising the code and configuration files while aiming for minimal impact on existing projects, so the calls used to send mail stay the same, even though some lesser-used functionality like mime and imap is lost.

**Q: Which mail transport does dot-mail use by default?**
A: The revised mail.global.php configuration defaults the transport to sendmail.
You should use ONE of the transporters, either 'transport' => 'sendmail' or 'transport' => 'esmtp', based on your server configuration; Sendmail was set as the default.

**Q: How do I update dotkernel/dot-mail from version 3 or 4 to version 5?**
A: Download the new mail.global.php.dist configuration file, add the values you configured for your project (focusing on transport, message_options and smtp_options) to replace your old configuration file, then update "dotkernel/dot-mail" to "^5.0.0" in composer.json and run composer update.

**Q: What functionality is lost after switching to symfony/mailer?**
A: At the time of the article, mime and imap related functionality is removed from dot-mail as a result of the switch.

## Resources

- [Laminas Technical Steering Committee minutes, 2023-12-04](https://github.com/laminas/technical-steering-committee/blob/main/meetings/minutes/2023-12-04-TSC-Minutes.md#maintainers-for-laminas-mime-and-laminas-mail)
- [laminas/laminas-mail](https://github.com/laminas/laminas-mail)
- [ddeboer/imap](https://github.com/ddeboer/imap)
- [zbateson/mail-mime-parser](https://github.com/zbateson/mail-mime-parser)
- [symfony/mailer](https://github.com/symfony/mailer)
- [dotkernel/dot-mail](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail)
- [dot-mail PR 65](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail/pull/65/files)
- [dot-mail PR 66](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail/pull/66/files)
- [dot-mail PR 67](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail/pull/67/files)
- [dot-mail PR 69](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail/pull/69/files)
- [New mail.global.php.dist configuration file](https://github.com/dotkernel/dot-mail/blob/5.0/config/mail.global.php.dist)