Complete Guide to Setting Up Mailu Mail Server on Linux

Mailu is a lightweight, secure, and easy-to-configure mail server based on Docker. It provides a full-featured mail solution with support for SMTP, IMAP, POP3, and webmail. This guide covers the complete setup of Mailu on a Linux server, including installation, configuration, and security.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following before starting:

A Linux server (Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 or CentOS 8 recommended)
Docker and Docker Compose installed
A registered domain (e.g., yourdomain.com)
Root or sudo access

Step 1: Prepare Your System

1. Update System Packages

Ensure your system is updated:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y # For Ubuntu sudo yum update -y # For CentOS

2. Set the Hostname

sudo hostnamectl set-hostname mail.yourdomain.com

Add the hostname to /etc/hosts:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

Add this line:

127.0.0.1 mail.yourdomain.com mail localhost

Step 2: Install Docker and Docker Compose

1. Install Docker (Ubuntu):

sudo apt install docker.io -y

2. Install Docker Compose:

sudo apt install docker-compose -y

3. Enable Docker to Start on Boot:

sudo systemctl enable docker sudo systemctl start docker

Step 3: Download and Configure Mailu

1. Create Mailu Directory:

mkdir /mailu && cd /mailu

2. Generate Mailu Configuration Files:

Use the Mailu configuration tool: https://setup.mailu.io/1.9/

Download the generated docker-compose.yml and .env files to the /mailu directory.

Or manually create them:

wget https://setup.mailu.io/1.9/docker-compose.yml wget https://setup.mailu.io/1.9/mailu.env -O .env

Step 4: Customize the Mailu Configuration

Edit the .env file:

sudo nano .env

Ensure the following variables are set correctly:

DOMAIN=yourdomain.com HOSTNAME=mail TLS_FLAVOR=letsencrypt ADMIN=admin@yourdomain.com PASSWORD=yourpassword

Save and exit the file.

Step 5: Start Mailu Services

Navigate to the /mailu directory and start Mailu using Docker Compose:

cd /mailu sudo docker-compose up -d

Check if Mailu containers are running:

sudo docker ps

Step 6: Set Up DNS Records

Ensure the following DNS records are added to your domain registrar:

Record Type	Name	Value
A	mail.yourdomain.com	Your server’s IP address
MX	yourdomain.com	mail.yourdomain.com (Priority 10)
TXT	yourdomain.com	v=spf1 mx ~all
TXT	_dmarc.yourdomain.com	v=DMARC1; p=none
TXT	default._domainkey.yourdomain.com	(DKIM Key)

Step 7: Access Mailu Admin Interface

Open your browser and visit:

https://mail.yourdomain.com/admin

Username: admin@yourdomain.com
Password: (as set in .env file)

Step 8: Add Email Users

Go to “Users” in the Mailu admin panel.
Create new email accounts.

Example command to create a user manually:

sudo docker-compose exec admin flask mailu admin admin@yourdomain.com yourpassword

Step 9: Secure Mailu with Fail2Ban

Install Fail2Ban (Ubuntu):

sudo apt install fail2ban -y

Enable Fail2Ban to start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable fail2ban sudo systemctl start fail2ban

Step 10: Monitor Mailu Services

Check Docker Logs:

sudo docker-compose logs -f

Restart Mailu Services:

sudo docker-compose restart

Step 11: Backup and Restore Mailu

Create a Backup:

sudo docker-compose stop sudo tar -czvf mailu-backup.tar.gz /mailu sudo docker-compose start

Restore from Backup:

sudo docker-compose stop sudo tar -xzvf mailu-backup.tar.gz -C / sudo docker-compose start

Recommended Services for Mailu

ClamAV – Virus protection
SpamAssassin – Spam filtering
Fail2Ban – Protection against brute-force attacks
Postgrey – Greylisting for improved spam control

Final Thoughts

You have successfully set up and secured a Mailu mail server on your Linux system. Regular maintenance and monitoring will ensure optimal performance and security.

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