Mail-in-a-Box
Turn any Ubuntu VPS into a complete, self-hosted mail server in one command
Overview
Mail-in-a-Box automates the setup of a full email stack on a fresh Ubuntu server, installing and configuring Postfix, Dovecot, Roundcube webmail, SpamAssassin, and DNS records in a single script. It aims to make email self-hosting as close to a one-click experience as possible while maintaining SMTP, IMAP, and HTTPS out of the box. Automatic TLS via Let's Encrypt and built-in backups are included. It is designed for personal or small-organization use rather than high-volume deployments.
Where it falls short of Gmail / Google Workspace
- Requires a dedicated Ubuntu VPS with a clean IP reputation; shared hosting is not supported
- No built-in bulk mailing or newsletter campaign tools
- Limited horizontal scalability; single-server architecture only
- Webmail (Roundcube) is functional but far less polished than Gmail's UI
We list the gaps honestly so you can decide if the trade-off is worth owning your data.
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[](https://openreplace.com/mail-in-a-box)Similar open-source projects
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