iRedMail

An installer that turns a fresh Linux or BSD server into a complete mail host, for admins who want their own email without containers.

1.9k stars, 265 forks Shell On GitHub since December 2019

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

iRedMail at a glance

Open sourceYes, GPL-3.0No paid parts in the repository
Health46 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingFrom sourceSteps in the README
InterfaceEnglish onlyNo translation files found
Issue repliesWithin ~6 hoursMedian first reply; 93% of recent issues answered

What is iRedMail?

iRedMail is a set of installation scripts that builds a full mail server directly on a supported operating system rather than inside containers. It targets CentOS Stream, Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux 9 and 10, Debian 12 and 13, Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04 (24.04 is the recommended one), FreeBSD 14 and OpenBSD 7.8. On Red Hat family systems most packages come from the official repositories and EPEL, with a few patched source packages supplied by the project. A separate repository offers an all-in-one Docker edition.

Good fit if

  • You run your own domains on a dedicated Linux or BSD server and want to replace a hosted mailbox provider.
  • You prefer distribution packages managed by the system over container images.
  • You may want paid help later without changing software.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want the mail stack packaged in Docker from the start: Mailcow or Mailu.
  • You prefer a single binary with little upkeep: Mox.

Before you adopt it

iRedMail is GPL software under GPL-3.0, and the repository contains no paid parts. The vendor sells support services and recommends deploying through its iRedMail Easy platform, which adds one-click upgrades and ticket support. A single developer maintains the code; all recent commits come from one author. GitHub carries no releases, so stable versions are downloaded from the project website, and the installation guides should be followed exactly. As with any self-run mail server, DNS, certificates and deliverability remain your job.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 7 November 2026. Report a correction

How to run iRedMail yourself

One-click install

Not listed in the app catalogs of Umbrel, YunoHost, TrueNAS, Unraid, CasaOS, Runtipi, Proxmox VE Helper-Scripts and Coolify.

Ways to install

Docker files
None in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: iredmail.org or the README on GitHub.

iRedMail health: is it still maintained?

46 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmNo releasesNone published on GitHub
Issue repliesWithin ~6 hoursMedian first reply; 93% of recent issues answered
Bus factorHigh riskOne person wrote all recent commits
  • Activity
    18 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 9 November 2026.
    15 / 30
  • Contributors
    1 person wrote the 18 commits of the last 90 days; the most active wrote 100% of them.
    2 / 20
  • Releases
    No releases published on GitHub.
    6 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 93% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 6 hours.
    19 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 3.5 of 10.
    4 / 10

Read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. How the score works

iRedMail security

Security advisories are the vulnerabilities the maintainers disclosed on GitHub, with the versions that fix them; many advisories can mean careful disclosure as much as weak code. OpenSSF Scorecard checks how a project is developed and released: reviews, protected branches, pinned dependencies, signed releases. It does not audit the code itself.

Security advisoriesNone publishedNo advisories in the repository’s Security tab
OpenSSF Scorecard3.5 of 10How the project is built and released
Security policyNoNo SECURITY.md or similar

What each Scorecard check found

  • Binary files10 / 10No compiled binaries checked into the repository
  • License file10 / 10A license file is present
  • Maintained10 / 10Steady commits and issue activity in the last 90 days
  • Best-practices badge0 / 10No OpenSSF Best Practices badge
  • Branch protection0 / 10The main branch has no protection rules
  • Code review0 / 10Changes are merged without review
  • Fuzzing0 / 10No fuzz testing found
  • Security policy0 / 10No security policy
  • Static analysis0 / 10No static analysis found

Advisories read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. From the OpenSSF Scorecard of 26 October 2026; checks that do not apply to iRedMail are left out.

iRedMail license: is it open source?

iRedMail uses GPL-3.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. December 2019First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayGPL-3.0.

iRedMail for developers

Written in

  • Shell 92%
  • Python 6%
  • PLpgSQL 2%

Getting involved

Contributing guideNot foundNo CONTRIBUTING file in the repository
Open issues5On GitHub
Authors, 90 days1Of 18 commits

Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.

Alternatives to iRedMail

  • Mail-in-a-BoxMail-in-a-Box helps individuals take back control of their email by defining a one-click, easy-to-deploy… 53 health · CC0-1.0 · 15.5k stars
  • MailuInsular email distribution - mail server as Docker images 76 health · MIT · 7.6k stars
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All 17 projects in Email servers & webmail

Questions about iRedMail

Is iRedMail open source?

Yes. iRedMail is published under GPL-3.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is iRedMail still maintained?

Its health score is 46 of 100 (actively developed). It had 18 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 9 November 2026.

How do I run iRedMail?

The repository has no Docker files or app builds, so you build it from source. The README on GitHub has the steps.

What is iRedMail written in?

iRedMail is written mainly in Shell (92% of the code), with Python (6%), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What are the alternatives to iRedMail?

Close alternatives in the Email servers & webmail category include Mail-in-a-Box, Mailu, Maddy Mail Server.