From Bored in Class to Building Reusable.email: The Temp Mail Experience Redesigned

Hey everyone, I’m Luke, the founder of Reusable.email. I want to share the story behind this project and why I built it.

The Problem I Faced

It all started when I was sitting bored in class many years ago, needing to sign up for some random service. Like many, I needed a temporary email to avoid spam and keep my real inbox clean. So I found YOPmail, the go-to temp mail site. But man, it was frustrating — cluttered ancient UI, no real privacy, no control, and worst of all, zero API for developers like me.

That moment stuck with me. Why wasn’t there a better solution that was simple, privacy-first, highly customizable, and powerful enough for developers?

Building Something Better

I started hacking on what would become Reusable.email back in 2023 — when I was still in high school. It was a side project that quickly grew into one of my main focuses as a passion project. I wanted:

• No sign-ups, no ads
• Custom domains so users could brand their inboxes
• A clean API that developers could automate and integrate with easily
• Encrypted inboxes by default to keep data safe
• Easy, instant access to disposable inboxes via simple URLs

After nearly three months of non-stop work on the latest version (and years spent collecting feedback), I’m proud of the scalable, affordable infrastructure we’ve built. It’s designed to handle hundreds of thousands of inboxes every month, with zero rate limits and fully whitelabeled domains.

What Makes Reusable.email Stand Out

• Privacy-first: Every inbox is encrypted and designed to protect your digital footprint.
• Developer-friendly: Powerful API for bulk inbox creation and full automation.
• Custom branding: Use your own domains to fully white-label inboxes.
• Instant access: Open disposable inboxes instantly just by visiting a URL (reusable.email/yourname).
• No friction: No signups or complicated onboarding — just create and use.

Thanks for Reading!

This project has taught me so much and opened doors I never expected. I’m genuinely proud to finally share it with you all.

Check it out: https://reusable.email
Would love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or feature ideas! ♥♥