What alternatives to SMTP can be considered for secure email sending in PHP, especially when facing restrictions from hosting providers?

When facing restrictions from hosting providers that limit or block SMTP usage for sending emails in PHP, one alternative to consider is using API-based email services such as SendGrid, Mailgun, or Amazon SES. These services provide secure and reliable email sending capabilities through their APIs, bypassing the need for SMTP. By integrating one of these services into your PHP application, you can ensure that your emails are delivered efficiently and securely.

// Example using SendGrid API for sending emails in PHP

$sendgrid_api_key = 'YOUR_SENDGRID_API_KEY';
$email = new \SendGrid\Mail\Mail();
$email->setFrom("sender@example.com", "Sender Name");
$email->setSubject("Test Email");
$email->addTo("recipient@example.com", "Recipient Name");
$email->addContent("text/plain", "Hello, this is a test email!");

$sendgrid = new \SendGrid($sendgrid_api_key);

try {
    $response = $sendgrid->send($email);
    echo "Email sent successfully!";
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo 'Email could not be sent. Error: ' . $e->getMessage();
}