How to Install Mail-in-a-Box on macOS

Mail-in-a-Box is an open-source email server that allows you to easily set up and manage your own email server.

Prerequisites

• A macOS computer with at least 2GB of RAM and 20GB of free disk space
• A domain name that you own and control
• An API key from Mailgun (optional)

Step 1: Download Mail-in-a-Box

1. Open your web browser and go to https://mailinabox.email/
2. Click on the "Download" button.
3. Once the download is complete, double-click on the downloaded file to extract it.

Step 2: Install Mail-in-a-Box

1. Open Terminal on your macOS computer.
2. Navigate to the directory where you extracted the Mail-in-a-Box files by running the following command:

cd /path/to/extracted/files

3. Once in the correct directory, run the following command to start the installation script:

sudo ./setup/start.sh

4. The installation script will guide you through the installation process. Follow the instructions on the screen to configure your Mail-in-a-Box installation.

Step 3: Configure Mail-in-a-Box

1. Once the installation is complete, you can access the Mail-in-a-Box admin interface by going to https://box.example.com/admin/ (replace example.com with your domain name).
2. Log in using the email address and password you set during the installation process.
3. Follow the instructions in the admin interface to configure your email server.

Step 4: Set up DNS

1. Log in to your domain registrar's account and set up the DNS records for your domain.

   • Create an A record that points to your server's IP address
   • Create an MX record that points to box.example.com (replace example.com with your domain name)

2. Once the DNS records are set up, it may take up to 48 hours for the changes to propagate.

Final Thoughts

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and configured Mail-in-a-Box on your macOS computer!

While Mail-in-a-Box is easy to use, it is still a complex piece of software. Be sure to read the documentation and take steps to secure your email server, including regular updates and backups.

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!