Introduction to PostBrix
Learn what PostBrix is, how the visual email creation pipeline works, and what makes it distinct from an email service provider (ESP).
Key Takeaways
- PostBrix is a modern visual email builder and production platform that generates clean MJML and email-compatible HTML.
- PostBrix is NOT an ESP (Email Service Provider) — it does not send campaigns or manage subscriber lists.
- Templates are designed visually, stored as clean JSON ASTs, compiled through MJML, and exported for use in your sending platform or application.
- Supports dynamic Handlebars templating (variables, conditions, loops) and enterprise design systems.
What is PostBrix?#
PostBrix is an email production platform designed for teams that need to create responsive, bulletproof emails without writing brittle nested tables by hand.
Under the hood, PostBrix bridges the gap between visual design and email infrastructure. It models emails using a clean JSON abstract syntax tree (AST), renders them using MJML (Mailjet Markup Language), and produces optimized, email-client-tested HTML.
Whether you are a marketer assembling a weekly newsletter, a designer enforcing brand typography, or a software engineer automating transactional receipts through an API, PostBrix provides a unified workflow.
PostBrix is Not an ESP
The Email Production Workflow#
PostBrix simplifies the complex lifecycle of modern email development into a predictable, four-stage pipeline:
- Visual Creation: Build layouts using sections, columns, and content blocks (text, images, buttons, dividers, interactive elements) inside our 3-panel visual canvas.
- Dynamic Templating: Add personalization variables (
{{firstName}}), conditional visibility blocks ({{#if isVip}}), and repeating collections ({{#each items}}) using standard Handlebars syntax. - MJML Compilation: PostBrix converts your visual block tree into valid MJML and compiles it to responsive HTML containing Outlook/MSO conditional comments, VML graphics, and mobile media queries.
- Export & Delivery: Export client-ready HTML or raw MJML, or use our REST API and SDKs to render dynamic transactional emails directly from your application server.
Core Architectural Principles#
PostBrix was built from the ground up to solve the longstanding pain points of traditional email development:
- Strict Table Hierarchy: No loose elements. All content lives inside Columns, which live inside Sections, guaranteeing strict table alignment across desktop and mobile clients.
- Client Resilience: Built-in VML padding for Outlook 2016-2021 desktop apps, viewport meta tags for iOS Apple Mail, and fluid table structures for Gmail on Android.
- Separation of Design and Data: Templates retain their logic independently of sample data, making it easy to test edge cases without altering production layouts.
- Developer First: Everything built in the visual canvas is directly inspectable as JSON, exportable as MJML, and renderable over a secure REST API.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PostBrix send emails directly to my customers?
No. PostBrix is an email design, templating, and rendering platform. You export the compiled HTML or call the PostBrix Render API from your application, then dispatch the message using an email service provider like SendGrid, Postmark, AWS SES, or Mailchimp.
What email clients does PostBrix HTML support?
Because PostBrix compiles through strict MJML, the resulting HTML supports all major email clients including Apple Mail (iOS & macOS), Gmail (Web, iOS, Android), Outlook (Windows desktop 2016-2021, macOS, Web), Yahoo Mail, and Samsung Email.