send email via CLI howto

Here are a few ways on how to send email using terminal - CLI mode.

We are going to use mail command, as root:

# mail -s "test email" isp@google.com -c owner@google.com -b staff@google.com

This would send a blank email with "test email" as its subject. The email would be send to isp@google.com with CC to owner@google.com and blind CC to staff@google.com

# echo "How are you" | mail -s "test email" isp@google.com -c owner@google.com -b staff@google.com

would include "How are you" line as the body message of the email. This could be useful and incorporated from your shell scripts that does a particular function and informs you by email of its function result.

Another way is to

# mutt -s "test email" -a /root/pic.jpg isp@google.com -c owner@google.com -b staff@google.com

would send email with "test emai" as subject name. Email is addressed to isp@google.com, with CC to owner@google.com and BCC to staff@google.com. You will noticed the new parameter. This email would attached /root/pic.jpg picture to this email.

Now, piping it like so

# echo "How are you" | mutt -s "test email" -a /root/pic.jpg isp@google.com -c owner@google.com -b staff@google.com

would include "How are you" as body of the email.

Alternatively, you can install the old text based mail user agent pine

# yum -y install pine
# pine

Interactively, pine gives you text based menus to create, send and even check your current mails via terminal.