I just set up my first ever email server and I’m proud of myself! 😊 Do you have any advice to avoid common problems? I mean something beginners often do that they shouldn’t. Thanks!

  • z3bra@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Congratulations! A mail server is quite demanding in terms of initial setup, but it’s also very rewarding !

    Here are a few pointers I can give you:

    • Using a good domain is important, some provider block entire TLDs for cheap domains (eg. .tk or .pw). I learnt it the hard way…
    • Set your MX records to A records, not CNAME
    • Ensure your PTR records match your A records for the mail server
    • Learn about SPF and DKIM
    • Set them up, and verify with mxtoolbox
    • Use the ip4: and/or ip6: selectors for SPF
    • Setup a spamfilter (I like spamassassin)
    • Leave it all running for a few weeks/months
    • Publish a DMARC policy on your DNS, and verify with mxtoolbox

    This should limit a lot your likeliness to end up in spam folders (which is usually the hardest part about running your mail server)