Why you should not run your own mailserver

Last updated: September 8th 2022

In general Webdock does not recommend you run a mail server on our infrastructure. Although we do not block any ports on your server related to mail (or any ports at all, except if you use our Perfect Server stacks, there you need to open ports with UFW). There are many reasons why running your own mailserver is a bad idea which we will go through here.

Don't panic! The good sane alternatives are easy!

If you need to send mail from your server: use our free Postmark integration!

We have made it easy to send transactional emails from your server. Simply click the email card on the server context menu, and follow the instructions.

If you just need to be able to receive mail, and not a mailbox per-se, use our free forwarding service!

We have partnered with ImprovMX to provide a free forwarding service. Simply click the email card on the server context menu, and follow the instructions.

If you need a mailbox, go for a world-class provider such as Google or Microsoft

Google Workspaces (formerly G Suite) is a great service where you get world-class mail functionality for your domain - we heartily recommend it. If you are on a budget, you could check out something like MXRoute.

Mail Servers are Complex

Setting up, running and maintaining a mailserver is very time consuming and complex. It is not really a plug and play affair - and even if you get some sort of 3rd party control panel to set it up for you, you are most likely in for a difficult time in the long run. Troubleshooting is... Difficult.

Deliverability is never guaranteed

Making sure everything is set up properly for good deliverability is a pain. You also need to stay on top of not being caught in blacklists.

Mail servers are often exploited

As mail servers are so complex, it is often very difficult to secure them properly. If your server gets exploited, your deliverability will suffer greatly.

In short: Save yourself lots of time and headache and use our built-in services and a world-class provider if you need a mailbox.. You will not regret it!

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