Simulation of sending a letter via smtp in php?

Question

PHP

How to simulate sending email via smtp via php?
It is not the sending itself, but the simulation of sending.
This is needed to test the connection.

Answer 1

Connect to the server, but do not send email.
PHPMailer's "connect" function can be seen as an example - https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/blob/master...

Answer 2

What's stopping you from setting up a local postfix with options to redirect mail to a specific address or hold send?