Production-ready fullstack but simple mail server
License: MIT. Built with: Shell, Dockerfile, Makefile, BitBake, Python, C++, Sieve. Website: https://docker-mailserver.github.io/docker-mailserver/edge/. Source: https://github.com/docker-mailserver/docker-mailserver.
Most self-hosted apps including docker-mailserver install through Docker or Docker Compose. The typical workflow is: install Docker on your host, pull the official image (or clone the repository), supply a configuration file with database credentials and storage paths, then start the container. Many homelabbers run docker-mailserver alongside other self-hosted services behind a reverse proxy like Caddy, Traefik, or nginx-proxy-manager for HTTPS and routing. Check the official repository for the most current instructions.
Self-hosting gives you three things SaaS can’t: data ownership (the files live on disks you control), cost predictability (a one-time setup vs. recurring per-seat fees that grow with your household or team), and longevity (open-source means the app keeps working even if the maintainers move on, since you can pin a working version). The trade-off is that you take on the operational work of running a server, applying updates, and handling backups.
Most self-hosted apps run comfortably on modest hardware — a Raspberry Pi 4, a mini PC, a NAS with Docker support, or a small VPS is usually enough for personal or family use. CPU and RAM requirements scale with how many simultaneous users or how much data you push through docker-mailserver. Storage requirements depend on the kind of data you keep; check the README for guidance on data retention.