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Last active December 2, 2025 19:39
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Mailserver Installation
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mailserver.md

Fail2Ban

sudo install fail2ban

UFW

sudo install ufw

UFW Settings

sudu ufw default deny incomoing

sudo ufw default allow outgoins

sudo ufw allow 22,25,80,110,143,443,465,587,993,995,4190/tcp

sudo ufw enable

Mailserver

Install curl and git

sudo apt install curl git -y

Install Docker

su

curl -sSL https://get.docker.com/ | CHANNEL=stable sh

systemctl enable --now docker

Install Docker Compose

curl -sSL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v$(curl -Ls https://www.servercow.de/docker-compose/latest)/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m) > /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Install the mail server

su

cd /opt

git clone https://github.com/mailcow/mailcow-dockerized

cd mailcow-dockerized

./generate_config.sh

Start the mail server

docker-compose pull

docker-compose up -d

@ukpagrace
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ukpagrace commented May 11, 2025

And also the: ./generate_config.sh

any one always wondering, what changed here it this
Available Branches:

  • master branch (stable updates) | default, recommended [1]
  • nightly branch (unstable updates, testing) | not-production ready [2]
  • legacy branch (supported until February 2026) | deprecated, security updates only [3]
    Choose the Branch with it's number [1/2/3]

Likely to go with number 1

📌 Here’s what each option means(according chatgpt, please correct if wrong):
🥇 [1] master branch

The stable and recommended branch.

Regular, tested updates.

Suitable for production servers.

What you should pick if you just want a working, reliable Mailcow installation.

👉 Choose this one.
🛠️ [2] nightly branch

Bleeding-edge updates.

New features and bug fixes not yet fully tested.

Can break things — for testing only.

Not recommended for live email servers unless you’re actively developing or debugging Mailcow itself.

⚠️ [3] legacy branch

Older version, no new features.

Only gets critical security updates.

Being phased out (supported until Feb 2026).

Only pick this if you have a specific reason (like compatibility with old configs or existing installations).

@ukpagrace
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ukpagrace commented May 11, 2025

I recommend instead using this install script for docker as it makes it far easier to manage the versions, removing, and updating: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/debian/#install-using-the-repository

# Add Docker's official GPG key:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

# Add the repository to Apt sources:
echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

If you install with apt-get
don't forget it's docker compose not docker-compose

@ukpagrace
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ukpagrace commented May 11, 2025

Hey everyone,
logging in with mail.domain, won't work for admin

from mailcow team
Breaking Changes

Logins for Administrator, Domain Administrator, and Users have been separated:

Administrator Login: /admin
Domain Administrator Login: /domainadmin
Users: /

Direct SOGo login is now disabled. All unauthenticated requests to /SOGo will be redirected to /.
Users must use the mailcow login.
Administrators can define whether a user should be redirected to the mailcow UI or SOGo after login.

@mercurial-moon
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mercurial-moon commented Nov 2, 2025

Great tutorial, thanks. Why do you install fail2ban when the mailcow installation already provides a fail2ban instance?

mailcow provided fail2ban protects the container interfaces i.e protection for docker, it won't protect the server interfaces .. eg. ssh.. installing fail2ban on the server protects those.

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