Re: [PATCH] docs: update sendmail docs to use more secure SMTP server for Gmail

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Aug 26, 2025, 14:51 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqcy8im8zd.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <PN3PR01MB95973B72C16F68D63BE2B410B83EA@PN3PR01MB9597.INDPRD01.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM>

Aditya Garg <gargaditya08@live.com> writes:

> Gmail's SMTP server also has a port 465 with SSL/TLS encryption. It is
> more secure than port 587 with STARTTLS encryption. Update the docs to
> reflect this change.

"Update the docs to reflect this change"? When there is no change other than the changes this patch is making to the documentation, that is a very strange thing to say.

I would have explained it this way instead, perhaps.

    Earlier recommendation by IETF with RFC 2595 was to deprecate
    implicit TLS in preference for upgrade an initially unencrypted
    connection with STARTTLS command.  These days, however, IETF
    recommends that connections be made using "Implicit TLS", in
    preference to STARTTLS and the like, completely reversing their
    earlier position, in RFC8314.

    Update the GMail example to use the implicit TLS to match the
    current recommendation at port 465.

Show 34 quoted lines

> Signed-off-by: Aditya Garg <gargaditya08@live.com>
> ---
>  Documentation/git-send-email.adoc | 8 ++++----
>  1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/git-send-email.adoc b/Documentation/git-send-email.adoc
> index 5335502d68..c610909a92 100644
> --- a/Documentation/git-send-email.adoc
> +++ b/Documentation/git-send-email.adoc
> @@ -521,10 +521,10 @@ edit `~/.gitconfig` to specify your account settings:
>  
>  ----
>  [sendemail]
> -	smtpEncryption = tls
> +	smtpEncryption = ssl
>  	smtpServer = smtp.gmail.com
>  	smtpUser = yourname@gmail.com
> -	smtpServerPort = 587
> +	smtpServerPort = 465
>  ----
>  
>  Gmail does not allow using your regular password for `git send-email`.
> @@ -542,10 +542,10 @@ if you want to use `OAUTHBEARER`, edit your `~/.gitconfig` file and add
>  
>  ----
>  [sendemail]
> -	smtpEncryption = tls
> +	smtpEncryption = ssl
>  	smtpServer = smtp.gmail.com
>  	smtpUser = yourname@gmail.com
> -	smtpServerPort = 587
> +	smtpServerPort = 465
>  	smtpAuth = OAUTHBEARER
>  ----