How to Build a Drag-and-Drop (DnD) Email Builder: Best Practices, Frameworks & Tech Stack

Including Best Practices, Frameworks, and Tech Stack

Creating a drag-and-drop email builder allows users to create responsive email content without writing code. This guide walks through the features, tech stack, libraries, and code examples needed to build one.

🔑 Key Features of a DnD Email Builder

Drag-and-drop UI with blocks (text, images, buttons, columns)
Responsive layout with mobile/desktop preview
WYSIWYG editor with live preview
Export as HTML or MJML
Reusable templates
Undo/Redo support
Custom blocks and components
Optional RTL or multi-language support
Integrations (Mailchimp, SendGrid, etc.)

🚀 Recommended Tech Stack

Layer	Tech Stack
Frontend	React.js, Redux / Zustand / Jotai
Editor Core	GrapesJS, Unlayer, EmailEditor.js
Rendering Engine	MJML
Backend	Node.js + Express / Next.js
Database	PostgreSQL / MongoDB / Firebase
Authentication	Firebase Auth / Auth0 / NextAuth
Cloud Storage	AWS S3 / Firebase Storage
Deployment	Vercel / Netlify / Heroku
Testing	Jest + React Testing Library

📦 Best Open Source Libraries

GrapesJS - Visual editor with plugin support like grapesjs-preset-newsletter
Unlayer - Commercial-grade email editor with OEM offering
MJML - Converts MJML to responsive HTML email
React Email - Build email templates using React

🧠 Best Practices

1. Separate Data from Layout

{
  "type": "column",
  "children": [
    { "type": "text", "content": "Welcome!" },
    { "type": "image", "src": "https://example.com/banner.png" }
  ]
}

2. Use MJML for Reliable Rendering

Convert exported data to MJML before rendering HTML for consistent cross-client layout.

3. Enable Custom Components

builder.registerBlockType('custom_button', {
  render: () => <button style={{ backgroundColor: '#007BFF' }}>Click Me</button>,
  export: () => '<button style="background-color:#007BFF;">Click Me</button>',
});

4. Image Hosting and Asset Management

Use cloud storage for user-uploaded assets (Firebase, S3, etc.).

5. Responsive Preview

Add a device toggle for mobile/tablet/desktop view using CSS media queries.

6. Template API for Save/Load

Store and retrieve email templates via REST API.

🧰 Example Implementation

Step 1: Setup GrapesJS

npm install grapesjs
import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
import grapesjs from 'grapesjs';
import 'grapesjs-preset-newsletter';

export default function EmailBuilder() {
  const editorRef = useRef(null);

  useEffect(() => {
    editorRef.current = grapesjs.init({
      container: '#editor',
      height: '100vh',
      plugins: ['gjs-preset-newsletter'],
    });
  }, []);

  return <div id="editor"></div>;
}

Step 2: Export HTML / MJML

const handleExport = () => {
  const html = editorRef.current.getHtml();
  const css = editorRef.current.getCss();
  const fullHtml = `<style>${css}</style>${html}`;
  console.log(fullHtml);
};

Step 3: Backend Template Storage

app.post('/api/save-template', async (req, res) => {
  const { name, html, userId } = req.body;
  await db.insert('templates', { name, html, userId });
  res.status(200).send({ message: 'Saved' });
});

💡 Bonus Features

Dark mode editor
Undo/redo history
Real-time multiplayer (Yjs, Liveblocks)
AI block generator
Export to PDF

📚 Resources

✅ Final Thoughts

With the right stack and best practices, building a DnD email builder is achievable and scalable. Use tools like GrapesJS, Unlayer, and MJML to deliver a powerful user experience.

Need a full working project scaffold? Let me know, and I’ll provide a complete codebase with frontend and backend setup.