> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.courier.com/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. > ## Agent Instructions > Install the Courier skill before writing code: `npx skills add trycourier/courier-skills`. It carries the verified SDK shapes and the rules you cannot get wrong. > Authenticate every request with `Authorization: Bearer `. A workspace has several environments and each has its own keys, which are plain `pk_` strings with no environment prefix. Start with Test. > Send with `client.send.message`, the default import of the v7 Node SDK. Reference a template by its `nt_` id or its alias. > A send accepts a bare Elemental element list, but storing content on a template requires the top-level elements wrapped in a channel element. > Templates and journeys can be built in the Courier app or created through the API. Either way they live in the workspace and are referenced by ID when you send. > The hosted MCP server is https://mcp.courier.com. For a briefing on what Courier is and when to use it, read https://www.courier.com/llms.txt. > Prefer the Guides tab for how-do-I questions and the Docs tab for how-does-it-behave questions. The API reference lives under /api-reference. # Migrate from Novu > Map Novu workflows, steps, and subscribers to Courier, with an API mapping and a plan. export const Endpoint = ({method, path, name, href, children, bare}) => { const verb = String(method || "").toUpperCase(); const title = verb + " " + path; const label = children || name || path; if (bare) { return href ? {title} : {title}; } if (!href) { return {label} {verb} ; } return {label} {verb} ; }; export const AppLink = ({href, children, name, bare}) => { const label = children || name || "Open in Courier"; if (bare) { return {label}; } return {label} ; }; export const Guide = ({href, children, name, bare}) => { const label = children || name || href; if (bare) { return {label}; } return {label} GUIDE ; }; export const Doc = ({href, children, name, bare}) => { const label = children || name || href; if (bare) { return {label}; } return {label} DOC ; }; This guide maps Novu concepts to Courier and gives you a step-by-step migration plan. ## Map Novu concepts to Courier | Novu | Courier | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | [Workflows](https://docs.novu.co/platform/concepts/workflows) | Templates + Journeys | | [Subscribers](https://docs.novu.co/platform/concepts/subscribers) | Users / Profiles | | [Topics](https://docs.novu.co/platform/concepts/topics) | Subscription Topics | | [Integrations](https://docs.novu.co/integrations/overview) | Integrations | | [Digest](https://docs.novu.co/platform/workflow/add-and-configure-steps/configure-action-steps/digest) | Batch + Digest nodes | | [Delay](https://docs.novu.co/platform/workflow/add-and-configure-steps/configure-action-steps/delay) | Delay node | | [Preferences](https://docs.novu.co/platform/concepts/preferences) | Preferences | | [Inbox](https://docs.novu.co/inbox/overview) | Inbox | | [Tenants](https://docs.novu.co/platform/concepts/tenants) | Tenants | ### Workflows, templates, and Journeys Novu [workflows](https://docs.novu.co/platform/concepts/workflows) combine content, channel routing, and orchestration logic (digest, delay, conditions) in one resource. Courier splits these into two independent pieces. That is the biggest architectural difference between the platforms. Templates own the content layer. Design them visually in Design Studio (drag-and-drop blocks for email, SMS, push, and chat) or in code with Elemental JSON. Either way, your product team ships copy changes without an engineering cycle. Journeys own the orchestration layer: delays, branching, batching, digests, and cancellation. A journey's send node references a template by ID, so the two evolve independently. | Novu step type | Courier equivalent | | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Channel step (email, SMS, push, chat) | Send node (references a template) | | Digest step | Batch node (window-based) or Digest node (schedule-based) | | Delay step | Delay node | | Custom step | Fetch data node or branch logic | A journey starts from a trigger: an API invoke, an inbound webhook, a Segment event, or a user joining an audience. Build journeys visually in the UI or through the Journeys API. ### Subscribers and users Novu [subscribers](https://docs.novu.co/platform/concepts/subscribers) map to Courier profiles. Both store email, phone, push tokens, locale, and custom properties. Courier profiles accept nested JSON, so account tiers, team roles, and feature flags fit as-is. Create profiles ahead of time through the API, or identify users inline at send time. Pass a `user_id` that doesn't exist yet and Courier creates the profile. ### Topics and subscription topics Novu [topics](https://docs.novu.co/platform/concepts/topics) group subscribers for bulk delivery. The Courier equivalent depends on your use case: * **For notification categories** (letting users opt in/out of types of notifications): use Subscription Topics within Preferences * **For bulk delivery to groups**: use Lists or Audiences ### Integrations Novu and Courier both call provider connections "integrations." Courier supports providers across email, SMS, push, chat, and webhooks. Wire up multiple providers for one channel type and Courier fails over between them automatically, with no code changes. ### Digest and delay Courier's Batch node covers Novu's [digest step](https://docs.novu.co/platform/workflow/add-and-configure-steps/configure-action-steps/digest) with a time window. It collects matching events, then releases them as one aggregated payload for a single summary notification. Your template receives the full list of collected events. For summaries that release on a fixed schedule the user controls (a daily activity email, a weekly report), use the Digest node instead. Delay works like Novu's delay step. Specify a duration and the journey pauses before the next node. ### Preferences Novu's [preference system](https://docs.novu.co/platform/concepts/preferences) supports global and per-workflow channel controls. Courier Preferences support the same hierarchy (global, per-topic, per-channel) and enforce it at send time. Courier also ships a hosted preference page you can deploy in minutes, plus embeddable React components for in-app preference centers. No custom UI required. ### In-app notifications Novu's [Inbox](https://docs.novu.co/inbox/overview) component handles in-app notifications. Courier Inbox does the same, with drop-in components for React, iOS, Android, and vanilla JS. Courier Inbox runs on the same delivery pipeline as email, push, and SMS. There's no separate service to manage. You get read/unread state, archiving, per-user history, toast notifications, and tab-based organization. ### Tenants Courier tenants work like Novu [tenants](https://docs.novu.co/platform/concepts/tenants). Scope branding, preference defaults, and notification feeds to one customer organization. Pass a `tenant_id` at send time and Courier applies that tenant's branding and preferences. ## Why Courier * **Fully managed infrastructure.** No self-hosting to maintain, no bridge endpoints to deploy. Courier handles orchestration, delivery, retries, and scaling. * **Content and logic stay separate.** Templates and journeys are independent resources. Your product team updates copy in Design Studio while engineers tune journey timing. * **Design Studio.** Build email, SMS, push, and chat content with drag-and-drop blocks. Preview across channels, personalize with variables, and publish without deploying code. * **Built-in in-app channel.** Courier Inbox works without a third-party provider. Drop in a React, iOS, or Android component and deliver in-app notifications on the same pipeline as email and push. * **Automatic failover.** Configure multiple providers per channel and Courier fails over automatically. If SendGrid goes down, your email still goes out through your backup provider. * **Hosted preferences out of the box.** Ship a user-facing preference center with a single config, or embed React components directly in your app. No custom UI required. * **The providers you already use.** Email, SMS, push, chat, webhooks, CDPs, and observability tools. Switch providers without changing your send code. * **Full delivery observability.** Message Logs track every message from API request to provider delivery with a detailed timeline, error details, and rendered content inspection. ## Migrate step by step Sign up and create a workspace. Courier gives you separate Test and Production environments with their own API keys, so you can migrate without touching live traffic. Go to **Integrations** in your Courier dashboard and connect the same providers you use in Novu (SendGrid, Twilio, FCM, etc.). Each provider maps to a channel type (email, SMS, push, chat). Configure multiple providers per channel for failover. If you use Novu's inbox component, enable Courier Inbox. No external provider needed. Novu workflows contain inline content per channel step. In Courier, extract the content into templates: 1. Create a new template for each notification type 2. Add content blocks for each channel (email body, SMS text, push title/body, etc.) 3. Use `{{variable}}` syntax for dynamic data. Both platforms use the same Handlebars-style approach 4. Publish the template to make it available for sending If your Novu workflows include digest, delay, or conditional logic, recreate them in Journeys. Build journeys visually in the UI or programmatically via the Journeys API. For notification types that need no orchestration (no delays, no digests), skip journeys and send directly via the Send API. Create user profiles in Courier with the same identifiers you use in Novu, via the Profiles API or inline at send time. ```json theme={null} { "user_id": "user_123", "profile": { "email": "sarah@acme-corp.com", "phone_number": "+15551234567", "custom": { "name": "Sarah Bennett", "plan": "enterprise" } } } ``` If you use Novu's subscriber preferences, recreate your structure in Courier: 1. Define subscription topics that map to your Novu workflow categories 2. Configure default channel routing per topic 3. Migrate subscriber preference selections via the Preferences API Courier also provides a hosted preference page you can deploy immediately, or React components to embed preferences in your app. Replace Novu's workflow trigger calls with Courier's Send API: ```javascript Node.js theme={null} const { requestId } = await client.send.message({ message: { to: { user_id: 'user_123' }, template: 'nt_01kx4h2jdafq8bk9aftxak4b40', data: { order_id: 'ORD-456', total: 79.99, }, }, }); ``` ```python Python theme={null} response = client.send.message( message={ "to": {"user_id": "user_123"}, "template": "nt_01kx4h2jdafq8bk9aftxak4b40", "data": { "order_id": "ORD-456", "total": 79.99, }, }, ) ``` ```bash cURL theme={null} curl -X POST https://api.courier.com/send \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $COURIER_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "message": { "to": { "user_id": "user_123" }, "template": "nt_01kx4h2jdafq8bk9aftxak4b40", "data": { "order_id": "ORD-456", "total": 79.99 } } }' ``` ```ruby Ruby theme={null} response = courier.send_.message( message: { to: { user_id: "user_123" }, template: "nt_01kx4h2jdafq8bk9aftxak4b40", data: { order_id: "ORD-456", total: 79.99 } } ) ``` ```go Go theme={null} response, err := client.Send.Message(context.TODO(), courier.SendMessageParams{ Message: courier.SendMessageParamsMessage{ To: courier.SendMessageParamsMessageToUnion{ OfUserRecipient: &shared.UserRecipientParam{ UserID: courier.String("user_123"), }, }, Template: courier.String("nt_01kx4h2jdafq8bk9aftxak4b40"), Data: map[string]any{ "order_id": "ORD-456", "total": 79.99, }, }, }) ``` ```java Java theme={null} SendMessageParams params = SendMessageParams.builder() .message(SendMessageParams.Message.builder() .to(JsonValue.from(java.util.Map.of("user_id", "user_123"))) .template("nt_01kx4h2jdafq8bk9aftxak4b40") .data(JsonValue.from(java.util.Map.of( "order_id", "ORD-456", "total", 79.99))) .build()) .build(); client.send().message(params); ``` ```php PHP theme={null} $response = $client->send->message( message: [ 'to' => ['userID' => 'user_123'], 'template' => 'nt_01kx4h2jdafq8bk9aftxak4b40', 'data' => ['order_id' => 'ORD-456', 'total' => 79.99], ], ); ``` ```csharp C# theme={null} SendMessageParams parameters = new() { Message = new() { To = new UserRecipient { UserID = "user_123" }, Template = "nt_01kx4h2jdafq8bk9aftxak4b40", Data = new Dictionary() { { "order_id", JsonSerializer.SerializeToElement("ORD-456") }, { "total", JsonSerializer.SerializeToElement(79.99) }, }, }, }; await client.Send.Message(parameters); ``` ```bash CLI theme={null} courier send message \ --api-key "$COURIER_API_KEY" \ --message '{"to":{"user_id":"user_123"},"template":"nt_01kx4h2jdafq8bk9aftxak4b40","data":{"order_id":"ORD-456","total":79.99}}' ``` ```text MCP theme={null} With Courier MCP, send my nt_01kx4h2jdafq8bk9aftxak4b40 template to user_123 with the order details. ``` Courier handles routing, preferences, and failover automatically based on your template and workspace configuration. 1. Send test messages in your Test environment and verify delivery in Message Logs 2. Validate that preferences, routing, and template rendering match your Novu setup 3. Switch your production code to use Courier's Production API key 4. Monitor Message Logs and Analytics for delivery confirmation ## Map the API | Operation | Novu | Courier | | -------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Send a notification | `POST /v1/events/trigger` | | | Create/update a subscriber | `PUT /v1/subscribers/:id` | | | Get a subscriber | `GET /v1/subscribers/:id` | | | Set preferences | `PATCH /v2/subscribers/:id/preferences` | | | Get message status | `GET /v1/messages/:id` | | | List messages | `GET /v1/messages` | | | Manage topics | `POST /v1/topics` | |