Self-host your mail server • Hacker News Board

Re: Self-host your mail server

#141

Post by EMAIL36245 » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 7:27 AM UTC

dandersch wrote: post #26

Before self-hosting your own, first get a domain and just point it at a mail provider that allows custom domains. It will cost, but so will a VPS. I suspect a lot of DIY homelab types would have most of their needs met with just that setup: - you get the vanity email address - you can switch email providers (including self-hosting later on) - you can have ~unlimited aliases (depends on the provider) Most of the setup…

Some providers use the reputation of the mail servers (smtp.domain.com) and not the actually domain (your-domain.com).

Re: Self-host your mail server

#142

Post by tinnet » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 11:55 PM UTC

paddim8 wrote: post #135

mmh0000 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fastmail is like $150 for 3 years. That's cheaper than I can rent any mail-capable VPS for, and it's cheaper than the electricity I'd pay (80W @ $0.15/kWh = $316 over 3 years) to self-host. And that doesn't include my personal-time hourly cost.

$150 for 3 years for just email is not cheap in my opinion. Also, it says closer to $200 for me but maybe it's regional. Fastmail is not a cheap provider. iCloud, Purelymail, Migadu, etc. are cheap. You can certainly rent a mail-capable VPS less. Especially if you send emails through the AWS mail service. A small home server capable of hosting mail will absolutely not use 80W. It will use <10w.

I find the price jump at 5gb for Migadu pretty steep. I’m carrying around 2 decades of emails so I’d need the next size up for sure and that brings it in Fastmail territory without providing all the bells ans whistles Fastmail has. (E.g. 1Password masked mail integration, iOS push)

Re: Self-host your mail server

#143

Post by ktm5j » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 1:43 PM UTC

Krei-se wrote: post #77

ktm5j wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to run mail servers for a university and I also suggest that no one should do this. It's hard enough to get right when it's your full time job. No one wants that kind of headache just for an email address. Do what I do and pay for Proton and stick your domain on it.

"Hacker"news: Don't actually do it yourself man, just pay someone!

Okay, you want to have that worry hanging over your head be my guest. Something, someday is going to break. Hope it's not something important that didn't get delivered, cause it'll be your fault.