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Where to start as a beginner
(lemm.ee)
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this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2024
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First based on everything I have ever heard, don't host your own email server. If you want to learn it that's fine, but don't do it for something you actually rely on. My understanding it's a constant miserable slog to keep it functioning.
Second for getting started, get a cheap used computer and install Linux on it. Also be prepared to wipe it and install something different. Docker may be a good place to go next. You can find lots of guides online, there are tones of apps setup to run with docker you can test out. You could also explore virtual machines. Both have the advantage of making it easier to experiment with different things.
Yes. Every other email server will mark you as spam, and every spammer will be trying to use your server to spam others.
@catloaf @monkeyman512 well i might disagree on this.
I started selfhost a couple of services for private use with a pi2 some time ago, and after gaining experience, I finally selfhost almost everything I need : cloud, photos, backups, website, media streaming etc. Including a mail server, on a low voltage unit.
Okay the mail server was a bit trickier to setup but works fine now for 3 years. I'm not get spammed or mark as spam, even without static IP.
@catloaf @monkeyman512 If I can give one advice : learn docker first, rent a vps. If you want to move to physical self host it will force you to test how to deploy everything from one host to another which is a critical step after being able to have things just working.
The mail suite I use is mailcow-dockerized and it's awesome.
I know a VPS is a simple thing in theory but sometimes it's a lot for a beginner.
A VPS paired with Docker may also unintentionally expose something not meant for the outside world due to it ignoring iptables and ufw
I constantly hear this but I just want to be the counter argument here.
Self hosting email is not the impossible tasks that people make it out to be. It is on the more advanced side of things though if you are hosting your primary email that you rely on.
I've been hosting my own email forany years now and have had no issues whatsoever but I also have years of experience and know how email works better than many that have no interest in such.
I would NOT recommended starting your self hosting journey with email but I will never discourage people from doing it.
Take your time. Ask questions any time you don't understand something. Be ready to learn a lot and design a solid plan for disaster recovery.
+1 hosting email sucks.