Node mailer error : Username and Password cannot be accepted - node.js

Question

I am using Mailtrap.io as smpt server for sending mail using node mailer. I have two files email.js for email setup and authController containing forgotPassword as handler function.
Whenever I hit
http://localhost:8000/api/v1/users/forgotPassword
I get this error as response .
Error: Invalid login: 535-5.7.8 Username and Password not accepted. Learn more at
535 5.7.8 https://support.google.com/mail/?p=BadCredentials g16-20020a05600c4ed000b003974860e15esm21842702wmq.40 - gsmtp
at SMTPConnection._formatError (E:\starter\node_modules\nodemailer\lib\smtp-connection\index.js:784:19)
at SMTPConnection._actionAUTHComplete (E:\starter\node_modules\nodemailer\lib\smtp-connection\index.js:1536:34)
at SMTPConnection.<anonymous> (E:\starter\node_modules\nodemailer\lib\smtp-connection\index.js:540:26)
at SMTPConnection._processResponse (E:\starter\node_modules\nodemailer\lib\smtp-connection\index.js:947:20)
at SMTPConnection._onData (E:\starter\node_modules\nodemailer\lib\smtp-connection\index.js:749:14)
at TLSSocket.SMTPConnection._onSocketData (E:\starter\node_modules\nodemailer\lib\smtp-connection\index.js:189:44)
at TLSSocket.emit (node:events:527:28)
at addChunk (node:internal/streams/readable:315:12)
at readableAddChunk (node:internal/streams/readable:289:9)
at TLSSocket.Readable.push (node:internal/streams/readable:228:10)
at TLSWrap.onStreamRead (node:internal/stream_base_commons:190:23) {
code: 'EAUTH',
response: '535-5.7.8 Username and Password not accepted. Learn more at\n' +
'535 5.7.8 https://support.google.com/mail/?p=BadCredentials g16-20020a05600c4ed000b003974860e15esm21842702wmq.40 - gsmtp',
responseCode: 535,
command: 'AUTH PLAIN'
}
Here is my code.
email.js
const nodemailer = require('nodemailer');
const sendEmail = async (options) => {
//1 Create a transporter
const transporter = nodemailer.createTransport({
service: 'Gmail',
host: process.env.EMAIL_HOST,
port: process.env.EMAIL_PORT,
auth: {
user: process.env.EMAIL_USERNAME,
pass: process.env.EMAIL_PASSWORD,
},
});
//2 Define Email Options
const mailOptions = {
from: 'Farhan Ajmal <18251598-146#uog.edu.pk>',
to: options.email,
subject: options.subject,
text: options.message,
};
//3 Send email
await transporter.sendMail(mailOptions);
};
module.exports = sendEmail;
authController.js
const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken');
const { promisify } = require('util');
const User = require('../models/userModel');
const catchAsync = require('../utils/catchAsync');
const AppError = require('../utils/appError');
const sendEmail = require('../utils/email');
exports.forgotPassword = catchAsync(async (req, res, next) => {
//Get user based on posted email
const user = await User.findOne({ email: req.body.email });
if (!user) {
next(new AppError('There is no user with that email address ', 404));
}
//Send email
try {
await sendEmail({
email: user.email,
subject: 'Your password is only valid for 10 min',
message,
});
res.sendStatus(200);
} catch (err) {
console.log(err);
return next(
new AppError('There was an error sending the email. Try again later'),
500
);
}
});

Answer 1

Gmail/Google has recently removed Less Secure app access. This is what they says:
To help keep your account secure, from May 30, 2022, ​​Google no longer supports the use of third-party apps or devices which ask you to sign in to your Google Account using only your username and password.
So now any emailer having direct SMTP email sending will throw error "535-5.7.8 Username and Password not accepted". This is because now Google is asking for app specific password and the email account password isn't app password so they show username/password not accepted.
You need to create and use App specific password. An app password works like an alternate password for your account. It can only be used by the applications you share it with, so it’s more secure than sharing your primary password.
To create app specific password:
Enable 2 Factor Authentication.
Go to Account settings of Gmail and select App Passwords.
Name it whatever you want and create the password.
Use this new 16 digit password along with gmail email for SMTP (At the place of password use this 16 digit password)
Enjoy sending emails..!!