Repolode
Submit
mail-in-a-box

mail-in-a-box/mailinabox

A one-click installer that turns a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 machine into a complete self-hosted mail server with webmail, DNS, and backups.

View on GitHubWebsite
Stars
15,448
Forks
1,561
Open issues
619
Last commit
2 days ago

What is it?

Mail-in-a-Box is a set of scripts that turns a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 LTS machine into a working mail server. It installs and configures Postfix for SMTP, Dovecot for IMAP, Nextcloud for CardDAV and CalDAV, and z-push for Exchange ActiveSync, along with Roundcube webmail and nginx for client autoconfig.

The setup also handles the parts that usually make self-hosting email hard. It runs an nsd4 DNS server and sets SPF, DKIM, DMARC, DNSSEC, DANE TLSA, MTA-STS and SSHFP records automatically, provisions Let's Encrypt certificates, and adds spam filtering with SpamAssassin and greylisting with Postgrey. Backups, a ufw firewall, fail2ban and munin monitoring are included.

Administration happens through a web control panel and an API for managing users, aliases, custom DNS records and backups. A daily health check verifies that services run, ports are open, certificates are valid and DNS records are correct. The project is designed as a no-options appliance rather than a customizable stack.

Key features

  • 01Installs SMTP, IMAP, webmail, CalDAV/CardDAV and ActiveSync on one Ubuntu machine.
  • 02Sets SPF, DKIM, DMARC, DNSSEC and related DNS records automatically.
  • 03Provisions and renews Let's Encrypt TLS certificates.
  • 04Includes spam filtering, greylisting, firewall and fail2ban protection.
  • 05Provides a web control panel and API for managing users, aliases and backups.
  • 06Runs daily health checks on services, ports, certificates and DNS.

Use cases

  • Running a personal or family mail server on a self-controlled VPS with your own domain.
  • Hosting email for a small team that wants to avoid a third-party mailbox provider.
  • Learning how the pieces of a production mail stack fit together.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/mail-in-a-box/mailinabox
  2. 2

    Enter the project directory

    cd mailinabox
  3. 3

    Check out the tag of the most recent release

    git checkout TAGNAME
  4. 4

    Start the installation on a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 machine

    sudo setup/start.sh

Things to know

  • It requires a completely fresh Ubuntu 22.04 LTS 64-bit machine.
  • It has no user-configurable setup options and is not meant for power-user customization.
  • Other mail providers may block or spam-filter email sent from your server.

In collections

Self-hosted apps

Topics

#email#smtp#self-hosted#imap#webmail#dns#linux#mail#server

FAQ

What is mailinabox?
A one-click installer that turns a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 machine into a complete self-hosted mail server with webmail, DNS, and backups. Mail-in-a-Box is a set of scripts that turns a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 LTS machine into a working mail server. It installs and configures Postfix for SMTP, Dovecot for IMAP, Nextcloud for CardDAV and CalDAV, and z-push for Exchange ActiveSync, along with Roundcube webmail and nginx for client autoconfig.
Is mailinabox free to use? What license does it have?
mailinabox is open source under the CC0-1.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is mailinabox still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to mailinabox was on Oct 22, 2026.
What can I use mailinabox for?
Running a personal or family mail server on a self-controlled VPS with your own domain. Hosting email for a small team that wants to avoid a third-party mailbox provider. Learning how the pieces of a production mail stack fit together.
How do I install mailinabox?
Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/mail-in-a-box/mailinabox Enter the project directory: cd mailinabox Check out the tag of the most recent release: git checkout TAGNAME Start the installation on a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 machine: sudo setup/start.sh
Where can I get mailinabox?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/mail-in-a-box/mailinabox

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

Related projects