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!
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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/orip6: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)
