Quick Configuration

If you just want to get Dovecot running with typical configuration in a typical environment, here’s what you’ll have to do:

    TLDR; Just want it running

    Configuration file

        Installing from sources

        Split configuration files

        Hints about writing configuration files

    Authentication

    Mail Location

    Mbox

    Maildir

    Client Workarounds

    SSL and Plaintext Authentication

    NFS

    Running

TLDR; Just want it running

Here is a very simple basic configuration with single vmail user to be placed in dovecot.conf. Please note that some distros split configuration under /etc/dovecot/conf.d/ which, while it can be useful, is not required.

You need to create group vmail and user vmail.

mail_home=/srv/mail/%Lu
mail_location=sdbox:~/Mail

## this is sometimes needed
#first_valid_uid = uid-of-vmail-user

# if you want to use system users
passdb {
  driver = pam
}

userdb {
  driver = passwd
  args = blocking=no
  override_fields = uid=vmail gid=vmail
}

ssl=yes
ssl_cert= dovecot.conf

Hints about writing configuration files

    Usually it does not matter in which file you write the setting. You only need to be aware that later settings replace earlier ones. If you use the same section multiple times, the settings are merged together.

    Before v2.3, boolean settings in the plugin section interpreted any value as true, even 0, no and false.

    To read the content of a file, for instance for the SSL certificate option, prefix the filename with a <, e.g.:

ssl_cert = 
PAM
Password databases (passdb)
User Databases (userdb)
Dovecot Logging
Running Dovecot