# colis or sign-off by email?

> “Fine by me” in a thread, or one click on the delivery itself. Where sign-off by email and colis overlap, where they differ, and when each is enough.

Canonical: https://colis-site.vercel.app/en/alternatives/validation-par-e-mail · Markdown: https://colis-site.vercel.app/en/alternatives/validation-par-e-mail.md · Français: https://colis-site.vercel.app/alternatives/validation-par-e-mail

Both leave a written answer from the client. colis attaches it to the file it answers, keeps a single answer per parcel, and makes it readable by a script.

## Sign-off by email
Send the work, then wait for the client to reply “approved” or list the changes by email. Everyone knows how, and the reply is in writing.

## Where they part ways.
| | colis | Sign-off by email |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where the file lives | Your bucket: S3, R2, MinIO, Scaleway, Wasabi | Wherever the file was sent |
| Knowing it was opened | Sent, opened, approved or changes, each with its time | None |
| The client’s answer | Approve, or ask for changes with a comment, from the pickup page. Once, for good | Free text, in a thread |
| Starting an automation | A signed webhook at every step, and an n8n node | Reading the email, by hand or with parsing |
| Large files | Straight from the browser to the bucket in parts, resumable; 2 GB by default | Depends on how the file was sent |
| What the client needs | Nothing: a code or a link | An email address |
| When it goes away | When you say: ten minutes to your maximum, or at the first download | None |

## What actually changes.
- **Tied to one file** — The verdict belongs to one parcel, under its code. There is no guessing which attachment, which link or which version a reply was about.
- **Once, for good** — A client answers a parcel once, and the answer is never overwritten. A new version is a new parcel, with its own answer.
- **Readable by a machine** — `colis statut` prints the state on its first line and `--json` the whole receipt. A webhook carries it the moment it is given, with the comment for changes.

## Pick the one that fits.
### Keep sign-off by email when
- The approval needs a discussion rather than a yes or no
- The client prefers to answer in their own words, in their own mailbox

### Pick colis when
- You want a yes or a list of changes, attached to the version it answers
- The approval should start the next step on its own
- You want the time of opening and of answering on record