BentoMigrate from Amazon SES to Bento
Step-by-step guide for migrating from Amazon SES to Bento, including exporting templates and suppression lists, updating DNS, and swapping SMTP or API credentials without downtime.
Migration Steps and Data Transfer
DATA TRANSFER
What transfers from Amazon SES?
Here's what data we can migrate from your current platform to Bento.
Contacts & Segments
All your subscribers, tags, and custom fields transfer seamlessly.
Email History
Email history transfers partially based on platform limitations.
Commerce Data
Commerce data may require reconnection to your store.
STEP-BY-STEP
Export from Amazon SES
Follow these steps to export your data and prepare for migration.
1. Audit your Amazon SES usage
List all verified domains and email addresses, regions you send from, configuration sets, templates, and event destinations. This tells you which apps and environments depend on SES today.
2. Export templates and content
In the SES console, open Email Templates, copy HTML and subject lines, or use the AWS CLI to get each template definition as JSON. Paste these into new Bento templates and replace any SES specific variables.
3. Export suppression and bounce data
Use the SES suppression list APIs or console to review suppressed addresses, and download event data from CloudWatch, SNS, or S3 if you store it. Import known bounces and complaints into Bento's suppression list so you do not email them again.
WHY SWITCH
Why migrate from Amazon SES?
Here's why teams are making the switch to Bento.
Reason 1
All-in-one email platform that covers product, marketing, and transactional messages instead of just raw sending.
Reason 2
All features included from day one, including automation, transactional email, and deliverability tooling.
Reason 3
Operator-friendly automation, segmentation, and inbox tools that eliminate custom SES glue code.
TERMINOLOGY & MIGRATION GUIDE
Amazon SES → Bento Translation
Different platforms use different terms. Here's how Amazon SES concepts map to Bento, plus tips for a smooth migration.
Both platforms need you to verify the domains and from addresses you send from so inbox providers trust your traffic.
SES configuration sets control routing, limits, and event destinations, while Bento uses sending profiles and built in tracking options.
Both keep a list of addresses you should never email, typically hard bounces and complaints.
You can recreate your SES templates inside Bento's visual editor and reuse them across campaigns and automations.
SES fans events into AWS services, while Bento pushes email events directly to your app or warehouse via webhooks and integrations.
SES exposes account level send limits, while Bento lets you batch and throttle campaigns from the user interface.
Both support dedicated sending IPs managed in slightly different ways to isolate reputation sensitive traffic.
Migration Tips
- Clean up old SES identities and unused configuration sets before you migrate so you only move what still matters.
- Start by moving low risk system emails to Bento, then graduate to revenue critical flows once you are comfortable.
- Use Bento's free email validation to scrub any addresses that bounced frequently while you were on SES.
- Document which services send through SES today so you do not miss cron jobs, microservices, or legacy apps.
- Keep your SES credentials active for a short overlap period in case you need to roll back quickly.
Watch Out For
- Do not shut down SES or delete identities until every application has been pointed at Bento and tested end to end.
- If you relied on SES event streams in internal systems, make sure Bento webhooks or exports feed those workflows before you cut over.
- Be careful not to remail addresses that SES had on suppression lists, or your bounce and complaint rates can spike.
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