What steps should I take when setting up a new email server for outbound emails, and what are the best free MTA alternatives to Exim4?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Email marketer from DigitalOcean Community shares that with Postfix, its important to properly configure the TLS settings to encrypt email transmissions. This helps protect sensitive information and builds trust with receiving mail servers.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Haraka has a more modern architecture than Exim4 because it does not maintain legacy code going back to the days when universities sent email.
Email marketer from SendGrid Blog explains that implementing SMTP authentication (using username and password) is crucial for securing your email server. This prevents unauthorized users from relaying emails through your server.
Email marketer from MXToolbox Blog explains that warming up your IP address is crucial when setting up a new email server. Gradually increasing your sending volume over time helps establish a positive reputation with ISPs, preventing your emails from being flagged as spam.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that bounce processing is important, ensuring that hard bounces and invalid recipients are removed immediately from the mailing list.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that ZoneMTA focuses on outbound mail and includes built-in bounce handling and DKIM signing.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that setting up feedback loops (FBLs) with major ISPs allows you to receive reports about spam complaints. This helps you identify and remove problematic subscribers from your list, improving your overall deliverability.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog suggests testing your email delivery by sending emails to various email providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook) and checking if they land in the inbox or spam folder. This helps identify any potential deliverability issues early on.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow shares that setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is crucial for outbound email. These records authenticate your server and improve deliverability by verifying that your server is authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
Email marketer from SuperUser shares that ensuring that port 25 is open on your server and not blocked by your ISP is essential. Port 25 is the standard port for SMTP, and blocking it can prevent your server from sending emails.
Email marketer from GMass Blog recommends that consistently monitoring your server's IP and domain reputation using tools like MXToolbox and Google Postmaster Tools is an important step. This allows you to identify and address any deliverability issues promptly.
Email marketer from Reddit responds that configuring a reverse DNS (PTR) record that points your server's IP address to your domain name is important. It helps build trust with receiving mail servers, as it confirms that the IP address is associated with your domain.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests considering ZoneMTA or Haraka as alternatives to Exim4, particularly for commercial senders, as Exim4 lacks some capabilities needed for commercial sending.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) is a foundational step for outbound email. These protocols help establish your legitimacy and improve deliverability by allowing receiving mail servers to verify that your emails are authorized.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that when choosing an MTA, it's essential to consider the specific requirements of your email program, including scalability, security features, and ease of management. Some MTAs are better suited for high-volume sending, while others are designed for smaller organizations with simpler needs.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Haraka.github.io explains that installing Haraka involves using Node.js and npm. It details the steps to download, install dependencies, and configure the basic server setup to handle outbound emails.
Documentation from Postfix.org explains that a basic Postfix configuration involves setting the `myhostname`, `myorigin`, and `mydestination` parameters in the `main.cf` file. This defines the server's identity and how it handles mail for different domains.
Documentation from ZoneMTA.com explains that ZoneMTA includes built-in bounce handling, allowing you to automatically process and manage bounced emails. This helps maintain a clean sending reputation by removing invalid or non-existent email addresses from your lists.