Mail Server
MyPanel stands up a mail server for your domain (mailboxes like you@yourdomain.com) by
wrapping docker-mailserver (Postfix + Dovecot + Rspamd).
The panel handles the hard parts: installation, DNS records + DKIM, deliverability checks,
relay and backups.
Requirements
Section titled “Requirements”- A Linux VPS with Docker (the panel pulls the docker-mailserver image when you click Install).
- Open ports 25 / 465 / 587 / 993 (the panel opens them via UFW on install).
- A domain whose DNS you can edit.
- A PTR (reverse DNS) record for the server IP, set at your VPS provider.
How to use
Section titled “How to use”Open the Mail Server menu. The screen shows exactly one of three states:
- Not installed — click Run system check (preflight) to see if the VPS can send mail, then Install Mail Server.
- Installed, no domain yet — Add a domain; the panel generates the DKIM key and lists the DNS records to add.
- Ready — create mailboxes, aliases, set a catch-all…
System check (preflight)
Section titled “System check (preflight)”Before installing, Run system check verifies the three things that decide deliverability:
- Port 25 (outbound) — blocked by default on many VPSes. If blocked, use Relay (Pro) to send.
- PTR / reverse DNS — missing it pushes mail toward Spam.
- Blacklist (Spamhaus) — whether the IP is listed as a spam source.
DNS records + DKIM
Section titled “DNS records + DKIM”Each domain has a DNS page listing the records to add, each with a Check button (green/red):
| Type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| MX | Routes mail to the server (mail.yourdomain.com) |
| SPF | Declares which server may send (v=spf1 mx ~all) |
| DKIM | Signing key generated by Rspamd (copy the value into DNS) |
| DMARC | Authentication policy (v=DMARC1; p=quarantine) |
| PTR | Reverse DNS of the IP → mail.yourdomain.com (set at your VPS provider) |
Mailboxes, aliases, catch-all
Section titled “Mailboxes, aliases, catch-all”- Mailboxes — create
user@yourdomain.comwith a password and a quota (size limit). - Aliases / forwarders —
alias@yourdomain.com→ forward to another address. - Catch-all — collect all mail sent to non-existent addresses of the domain into one mailbox.
Right after install the engine uses a self-signed certificate (mail clients warn “not trusted” — that’s
normal). For a real certificate: create a website with the exact hostname mail.yourdomain.com in the panel
so it gets a Let’s Encrypt cert, then click Use Let’s Encrypt in Mail Server. The cert auto-renews.
Relay / Smarthost
Section titled “Relay / Smarthost”When the VPS blocks port 25, configure a Relay to send mail out through a provider (Amazon SES, SendGrid, SMTP2GO…). Enter the relay host, username and password per domain.
Backups
Section titled “Backups”- Create backup manually: compress all mail data (mailboxes + accounts + DKIM/relay) into a
.tar.gzto download or restore. - Scheduled + S3 + retention (Pro): mail is backed up on the same schedule as websites/databases, uploaded to S3/MinIO and old copies pruned. Restore works from both local and remote backups.
Free / Pro limits
Section titled “Free / Pro limits”| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Mail domains | 1 | Unlimited |
| Mailboxes | 3 | Unlimited |
| Aliases / catch-all / quota | ✓ | ✓ |
| DNS helper + DKIM + preflight | ✓ | ✓ |
| Relay / smarthost | — | ✓ |
| Scheduled + S3 + retention backups | — | ✓ |