How to Install Mailcow on Kali Linux Latest?

In this tutorial, we will be going through the process of installing Mailcow on Kali Linux Latest. Mailcow is a comprehensive mail server suite that includes all the necessary components required for setting up and managing a mail server, including Postfix, Dovecot, Roundcube, and many more.

Before we begin the installation process, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

• A fresh installation of Kali Linux Latest
• Root or sudo privileges

Step 1 - Install Docker

Mailcow runs on Docker, a container platform that simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications. To install Docker on Kali Linux, follow the steps below:

1. Update and upgrade the system packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install the necessary packages:

sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates gnupg lsb-release -y

3. Add the Docker GPG key to your system:

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

4. Add the Docker repository:

echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

5. Update the package cache:

sudo apt update

6. Install Docker:

sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io -y

7. Verify that Docker is installed and running:

sudo systemctl status docker

Step 2 - Install Docker Compose

Docker Compose is a tool that allows you to define and run multi-container Docker applications. To install Docker Compose, follow the steps below:

1. Download the latest version of Docker Compose:

sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/1.29.2/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

2. Set the executable permission:

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

3. Verify that Docker Compose is installed:

docker-compose --version

Step 3 - Clone the Mailcow Repository

Now, we can clone the Mailcow repository to start the installation process:

1. Change into the /opt directory:

cd /opt

2. Clone the Mailcow repository:

sudo git clone https://github.com/mailcow/mailcow-dockerized.git

3. Change into the Mailcow directory:

cd mailcow-dockerized

Step 4 - Configure Mailcow

Before we can run Mailcow, we need to configure some settings:

1. Copy the default configuration files:

sudo cp .env.sample .env
sudo cp mailcow.conf.in mailcow.conf

2. Edit the .env file using your favorite editor:

sudo nano .env

Update the following settings:

SYSADMIN_EMAIL=your_email_address@example.com
...

# Change this to 'false' if you want to use your own TLS certificate
LETS_ENCRYPT=internal

# Set this to 'true' if you want to use DKIM
ENABLE_DKIM=true

Save and close the file.

3. Edit the mailcow.conf file:

sudo nano mailcow.conf

Update the following settings:

MAILCOW_HOSTNAME=mail.example.com

Save and close the file.

Step 5 - Start Mailcow

Now, we can start Mailcow:

1. Run the following command to start the containers:

sudo ./generate-config.sh && docker-compose up -d

This will download and start all the necessary containers.

2. Wait for the containers to start, and then run the following command to confirm that they are running:

docker ps

You should see the following containers:

mailcowdockerized_vmail_1
mailcowdockerized_dovecot_1
mailcowdockerized_postfix_1
mailcowdockerized_nginx_1
...

Step 6 - Access Mailcow

You can now access Mailcow by navigating to your server's IP address or domain name in your web browser:

https://mail.example.com

You will be prompted to create a new account for the admin interface. Once you have created your account, you can access the admin interface by navigating to:

https://mail.example.com/admin

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Mailcow on Kali Linux Latest. You can now start configuring your mail server and creating accounts for your users.

If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!

Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!