Self-hosting email the hard way from your own routable IPv4 block up
12 hours ago
- #Self-hosting
- #Technical Guide
- #Email Infrastructure
- The author updated their self-hosted email infrastructure, including obtaining a dedicated IPv4 allocation.
- Self-hosting email is educational and important for data sovereignty, as email is central to digital lives.
- Setting up email involves configuring IP reputation, using RBLs, greylisting, and content filtering with rspamd and ClamAV.
- Email delivery uses LMTP and Sieve for filtering, with Maildir for durable storage and Flatcurve for full-text indexing.
- Sending email reliably requires SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and SRS to avoid spam filters and ensure deliverability.
- User email access is provided via Dovecot IMAP and Roundcube webmail, both secured with TLS.
- Remaining tasks include implementing MTA-STS, DANE, DNSSEC, and possibly a JMAP proxy in OCaml.
- Despite complexity, self-hosting email is a valuable learning experience and maintains user agency over digital lives.