Best Free Mail Server For Ubuntu

[jrusso2]

There are so many Email servers for Linux its hard to say whats best. But which ever one you choose it needs to be secured since people will try to hack or relay junk mail through it.

So learn how to secure which ever one you decide on

[martien]

I dont like the packages like zimbra. I prefer to set whatever software i want.
For smtp i recommend postfix. For imap/pop3 server you can choose between courier and dovecot. Both courier and postfix have database support, so it should be easy for you to setup mail server.

[charlesvallieres]

Hi, maybe it won't answer your question...
If you own a domain, google has an app to get custom mail service.
http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/b.../editions.html
Try it, it's awesome and it's free!

[Fireblazer]

Hey,

Thanks charlesvallieres, I'll check that out.
By database support, do you mean it will insert into a MySQL database?
Also, how hard would it be to just design my own? I'm pretty good at programming.
Anyway, thanks for all of yall's suggestions.

~ Fireblazer

[albinootje]

I recommend postfix with postfixadmin, and dovecot for imap/pop.

Sendmail and Exim are not at all easy imho (though I've heard that the commercial Sendmail is easy and comes with a GUI)
Qmail is pretty cool but not that very easy and flexible (even not with qmail GUI tools), and I don't like Zimbra and the Citadel suite.

The one thing I like about postfix is that the installation and configuration is straight-forward, and things like "transporting" email for a domain from one machine to another machine is really easy to understand and apply in the configuration files.

Just my 2 cents.
Kind regards from a happy postfix user

[HermanAB]

To me, Citadel is so easy to install, that using anything else just isn't worth the head-ache. It takes about 20 minutes, which is unbeatable.

Cheers,

Herman

[Greyed]

Qmail is pretty cool but not that very easy and flexible (even not with qmail GUI tools),

qmail is a case study on how not to develop an MTA or a piece of FOSS software.

The one thing I like about postfix is that the installation and configuration is straight-forward, and things like "transporting" email for a domain from one machine to another machine is really easy to understand and apply in the configuration files.

On the other hand its qmail-esque 1-program-per-task make smtp-time spam/virus filtering a mind bender. Exim is a tad harder to set up but once set up the more advance stuff is relatively easy to perform.

FWIW I've been running my own mail domain for just over of 10 years now. All 10 on Exim and the current chain is
Exim (MTA/MDA) w/SMTP time rejection
ClamAV (virus filtering)
SpamAssassin (spam filtering)
Dovecot (POP/IMAP)
Squirrelmail (webmail)

[albinootje]

To me, Citadel is so easy to install, that using anything else just isn't worth the head-ache. It takes about 20 minutes, which is unbeatable.

I've tried the Citadel suite because I wanted to test a lot of groupware solutions, mainly for having a shared calendar (web and/or via thunderbird).
I found the installation of the Citadel suite not that difficult but the layout is too ancient looking. I cannot deliver that to my users.

And about the citadel smtp server, the 20 minutes is including imap/pop ?
I really want Maildir format mailboxes for my users, and after starting with postfixadmin years ago, I really favor the virtual mail users setup.
I can create mail-admins which can then create new mail-users, delete mail-users, create mail-aliases, edit mail-aliases etc all through a web interface. Awesome.

How does citadel handle that ? Can it work with LDAP or SQL ?
Just wondering.

[albinootje]

qmail is a case study on how not to develop an MTA or a piece of FOSS software.

In my opinion you're doing injustice to the qmail project. Looking at the history of MTA it was a response to the security problems of the ancient Sendmail. Security in the very broad sense, not just about security exploits. Concerning that the Maildir format, which qmail uses by default, has been a very good new thing in computer history.

On the one hand it's a pity that Mr. Bernstein did use a restrictive license for qmail, but on the other hand it's a bit understandable that he didn't want the high quality code results to be forked so easily.
Since a while the license of qmail has changed, in the future the qmail installer would no longer be in the non-free section of Debian.

[albinootje]

[postfix] On the other hand its qmail-esque 1-program-per-task make smtp-time spam/virus filtering a mind bender. Exim is a tad harder to set up but once set up the more advance stuff is relatively easy to perform.

Configuring amavisd-new and postfix is really easy.
I don't like amavisd-new not so much myself, I'm using some spamfilter script to work with postfix, clamsmtp and spamassassin.