Self-host Mailu

A simple, full-stack mail server as a set of Docker images — SMTP/IMAP, webmail, antispam, and an admin panel generated by a setup wizard. A lighter, MIT-licensed self-hosted alternative to Google Workspace for personal and small-team email. As with any self-hosted mail, expect to manage deliverability (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and reverse DNS) so your mail reaches inboxes.

Key facts

What you need

• Any VPS with at least 1024 MB of RAM
• A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
• About the better part of a day

Install

Run these commands on your server:

copy# Mailu has no one-line install. First complete the wizard at
#   https://setup.mailu.io
# and copy the docker-compose.yml + mailu.env it generates into this
# directory — the commands below fail without them.
docker compose up -d
docker compose exec admin flask mailu admin me example.net 'CHANGE_ME'