Mail server is setup... now what? reddit / selfhosted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- networkingnoob325 · 2023-10-13 13:42 Very dumb question I feel like, but... I have my own domain name that I setup a mail server on using postfix. I successfully got DKIM, SPF, and DMARC configured. I can send mail through the terminal to gmail accounts without being marked as spam. ​ But... how do I get a traditional inbox/mail client without having to use the terminal? I'm guessing there's some way to set it up on Thunderbird or Outlook? I feel like I'm missing something here, and feel free to admonish me for being a dumb dumb. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- thekrautboy · 2023-10-13 13:46 Just like you add any other email account manually to Thunderbird or Outlook? Just using your own server and account info. https://www.mydomain.com/help/article/email-client-setup-mozilla- thunderbird ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Other-Technician-718 · 2023-10-13 14:17 do you have something like dovecot (imap server) running? I followed the tutorial on workaround.org - maybe have a look at it to check if you forgot anything ---------------------------------------------------------------------- hc0de · 2023-10-13 15:40 You only have half a mail server. Postfix is an smtp server. smtp is the protocol used to get email to its destination. You still need an IMAP or POP server to read your email with a mail client like Thunderbird. A good IMAP server is Dovecot. In order to read and send email from a mail client like Thunderbird you need to tell the mail client what the address of your smtp server is as well as your imap server. You'll also need to make sure that you configure smtp relay correctly. Your postfix should allow you to relay mail to other domains and receive mails for its own domain from anyone. But if you're not careful it will allow **anyone** to relay mail to anyone and that is how you end up on a blacklist. To be honest, I doubt mail servers are worth self hosting. I used to manage a bunch of them in the early 2000's and they were (and very much still are) a pain to manage. They are a very wanted target for hackers and spammers. You will at some point end up on some blacklist and will have to spend days trying to get yourself unlisted. There is a reason most companies don't host their own mail server anymore. The risks are just not worth the reward. One last thing. If you are hosting this in your local network, don't. Or at least make sure it is in a DMZ zone of your network. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PaulEngineer-89 · 2023-10-13 18:12 Very bad advice about a DMZ. All you need is forwarding port 587 and just maybe 25. It’s friggin email. At worst put Postfix and Dovecot in a container with only known ports exposed. Putting it in a DMZ exposes every port. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- brod33p · 2023-10-13 22:42 > Putting it in a DMZ exposes every port Maybe on a consumer router, but definitely not if you use a good router (pfsense/opnsense/etc) and architect a DMZ properly (eg. using VLANs) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- hc0de · 2023-10-14 08:04 That is not a DMZ. A DMZ is supposed to be a completely separate network. What you describe is a default port forward. Some router manufacturers may call that a DMZ host, but it most definitely is not a DMZ. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMZ\_(computing)](https://en.wik ipedia.org/wiki/DMZ_(computing)) A firewall traditionally has 3 zones: a trusted zone (your internal network), an untrusted zone (the internet) and a DMZ (demilitarized zone). Anything in the DMZ is not allowed to connect to the internal network. Which ports you open to the hosts in your DMZ is up to you. The point of a DMZ is to separate the hosts you expose to the internet from the rest of your network. So that in case a host in your DMZ is compromised, it cannot reach into your internal network. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- operator207 · 2023-10-14 21:06 While I agree with most everything you say, I would not put all your eggs in a basket by assuming the OP would be using anything but an ISP provided router. At best it would be better to assume that they were using one until proven otherwise, based on the subreddit. I would also hazard a guess that /r/PaulEngineer\-89 isn't calling what he is describing a 'DMZ', and is stating to NOT use a DMZ and forward ports onto a flat network.