Communication Email Server mature
Mailcow
Dockerized self-hosted email server suite
9.0K stars
150 contributors
Since 2020
Complete email server stack with Postfix, Dovecot, SOGo, Rspamd, ClamAV in Docker containers with web admin, 2FA, DKIM/SPF/DMARC support.
License
GPL-3.0
Min RAM
4 GB
Min CPUs
2 cores
Scaling
single_node
Complexity
advanced
Performance
medium
Self-hostable
✓
K8s native
✕
Offline
✕
Pricing
fully free
Docs quality
good
Vendor lock-in
none
Use cases
- ✓ Complete self-hosted email for organizations
- ✓ Privacy-first email with full control
- ✓ Multi-domain email hosting
- ✓ Spam filtering and virus scanning
Anti-patterns / when NOT to use
- ✕ Email deliverability requires careful setup
- ✕ DNS configuration is complex
- ✕ Reputation building takes time
- ✕ Not recommended for beginners
Replaces / alternatives to
Technical specs
Language
PHPPythonShell
API type
REST
Protocols
HTTP
Deployment
docker
Community
GitHub stars 9.0K
Contributors 150
Commit frequency weekly
Plugin ecosystem none
Backing Mailcow
Funding community
Release
Latest version
— Last release —
Since 2020
Best fit
Team size
solosmallmedium
Industries
generalenterprisegovernment