I just set up my first ever email server and I’m proud of myself! 😊 Do you have any advice to avoid common problems? I mean something beginners often do that they shouldn’t. Thanks!
I just set up my first ever email server and I’m proud of myself! 😊 Do you have any advice to avoid common problems? I mean something beginners often do that they shouldn’t. Thanks!
You’re in for a world of hurt. Email security is a pain in the ass. I used to do this full time and I’m so glad I don’t have to anymore.
Not trying to discourage you, it’s fun, it’s cool, but it can be a real PITA.
That’s true, but only initially. Once you get SPF/DKIM right, that you domain name grows a few years old (enough to be considered established) and that you nailed your configuration, there is no issue anymore. I’ve been running my own Postfix on a Pi in my home for about 5 years, and It Just Works ™. The only maintenance I do is updating the software (done when updating the rest of the OS), and I don’t get shadowbanned mails anymore, even when sending to outlook.com (which is. by far, the worst peer when self-hosting emails).
EDIT : by the way, fun fact : it seems not as related to IP reputation as it’s often said (well, unless the IP has bad reputation, of course). I changed my ISP late last year (thus changed my IP), I was very afraid I would lose my good reputation and have to start over with getting my mails shadowbanned, and… nothing happened. My mails just got delivered as usual. So I bet the domain name is at least as important as the IP.
Well, that’s exactly what it sounds like :/
Don’t listen to him OP, running your own email server is not “a world of hurt”.
The initial configuration involves quite a few things (DNS records, DKIM, spam filters, …) But it’s definitely manageable. And when all this is setup, you don’t have to touch it anymore, it just works!
I’ve been doing it for years now, and I’m not going back ! Congratulations on doing it, and good luck on keeping it running!