Setup mail server with Dovecot and Postfix

Dovecot is an open source IMAP and POP3 email server. Postfix is a fast and secure SMTP mail server. Both Dovecot and Postfix are widely used open source projects that can run on UNIX-like systems.

Install Dovecot and Postfix

apt-get install dovecot-imapd dovecot-pop3d
apt-get install postfix

Configure Dovecot

1.Create SSL certification

wget http://dovecot.org/doc/mkcert.sh
wget http://dovecot.org/doc/dovecot-openssl.cnf

Edit information in mkcert.sh and dovecot-openssl.cnf
sudo sh mkcert.sh

2.Create new mail user
Generate password for the user, supported password schema: PLAIN, CRYPT, SHA256-CRYPT, SHA512-CRYPT, MD5-CRYPT, PLAIN-MD5, etc.
doveadm pw -s CRYPT

Copy the password above and edit /etc/dovecot/users and add user line:

postmaster@mydomain.com:{CRYPT}password

3.Edit configuration
vi /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf

mbox_write_locks = fcntl
protocols = imap
service imap-login {
  inet_listener imap {
    address = *
  }
}
service auth {
  unix_listener /var/spool/postfix/private/auth {
    mode = 0660
    user = postfix
    group = postfix
  }
}
auth_mechanisms = plain login
ssl = yes
ssl_cert = </etc/ssl/certs/dovecot.pem
ssl_key = </etc/ssl/private/dovecot.pem`

passdb {
  driver = passwd-file
  args = scheme=CRYPT username_format=%n /etc/dovecot/users
}
userdb {
  driver = static
  args = uid=mail gid=mail home=/var/mail/%d/%n
}
first_valid_uid = 0
disable_plaintext_auth = no

log_path = /var/log/dovecot.log

mail_location = maildir:~/Maildir

Configure Postfix

Edit /etc/postfix/master.cf and uncomment lines below:

smtp      inet  n       -       n       -       -       smtpd

smtps     inet  n       -       n       -       -       smtpd
  -o smtpd_tls_wrappermode=yes
  -o smtpd_sasl_auth_enable=yes

dovecot  unix  -       n       n       -       -       pipe
   flags=DRhu user=mail:mail argv=/usr/libexec/dovecot/deliver -d ${recipient}

Edit /etc/postfix/main.cf

#alias_database = hash:/etc/aliases
alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases
command_directory = /usr/sbin
config_directory = /etc/postfix
daemon_directory = /usr/libexec/postfix
data_directory = /var/lib/postfix
debug_peer_level = 2
home_mailbox = Maildir/
html_directory = no
inet_interfaces = all
inet_protocols = all
local_destination_concurrency_limit = 5
local_destination_recipient_limit = 300
mail_owner = postfix
mailq_path = /usr/bin/mailq.postfix
manpage_directory = /usr/share/man
mydomain = mydomain.com
myhostname = mail.mydomain.com
#mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8
mynetworks_style = host
mydestination = localhost, $myhostname
myorigin = $mydomain
newaliases_path = /usr/bin/newaliases.postfix
queue_directory = /var/spool/postfix
relay_domains =
sendmail_path = /usr/sbin/sendmail.postfix
setgid_group = postdrop
smtpd_sasl_auth_enable = yes
broken_sasl_auth_clients = yes
smtpd_sasl_type = dovecot
smtpd_sasl_path = private/auth
smtpd_sasl_security_options = noanonymous
smtpd_sasl_local_domain = $myhostname
smtpd_recipient_restrictions = permit_mynetworks, permit_sasl_authenticated, reject_unauth_destination

#SSL
smtp_use_tls = yes
smtpd_use_tls = yes
smtpd_tls_key_file = /etc/ssl/private/dovecot.pem
smtpd_tls_cert_file = /etc/ssl/certs/dovecot.pem
smtpd_tls_CAfile = /etc/ssl/certs/dovecot.pem
smtpd_tls_loglevel = 1
smtpd_tls_received_header = yes
smtpd_tls_session_cache_timeout = 3600s
tls_random_source = dev:/dev/urandom
smtpd_tls_auth_only = yes

virtual_mailbox_domains = $mydomain
virtual_mailbox_base = /var/mail
virtual_minimum_uid = 8
virtual_uid_maps = static:8
virtual_gid_maps = static:8
virtual_mailbox_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/vmailbox
virtual_alias_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/virtual

Change the static id of 'virtual_uid_maps' and 'virtual_gid_maps' to uid and gid of mail.
id mail

Edit /etc/postfix/virtual

postmaster@mydomain.com postmaster

Edit /etc/postfix/vmailbox

postmaster@mydomain.com mydomain.com/postmaster/Maildir/

Update hash file

sudo postmap /etc/postfix/virtual
sudo postmap /etc/postfix/vmailbox

Restart services

sudo service dovecot restart
sudo service postfix restart

Add iptables rules

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 25 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 143 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 993 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 465 -j ACCEPT

See Dovecot documentation and Postfix documentation for detailed configuration.