wildduck

An IMAP and POP3 mail server that keeps every message in sharded, replicated MongoDB so there is no single point of failure.

2.1k stars, 286 forks JavaScript On GitHub since March 2017

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

wildduck at a glance

Open sourceYes, EUPL-1.2No paid parts in the repository
Health80 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingDockerCompose file, 3 services
InterfaceEnglish onlyNo translation files found
Issue repliesWithin ~2 daysMedian first reply; 81% of recent issues answered

What is wildduck?

WildDuck is an opinionated mailbox server built for scale. Instead of writing mail to files on disk, it puts all data, messages included, into a MongoDB cluster that can be sharded and replicated, which lets several servers share the load and removes any single point of failure. Users connect over IMAP or POP3, and the project publishes separate API documentation. Its developers say they follow Gmail when making product decisions. WildDuck belongs to the Zone Mail Suite, a group of modules from Zone Media for running a complete email service.

Good fit if

  • You host mailboxes for many users and want storage that grows by adding MongoDB nodes.
  • You plan to drive the mail server from your own software through its API.
  • High availability matters more to you than a minimal single-machine setup.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want a ready Docker bundle with webmail, antispam and antivirus for a small domain: Mailcow or docker-mailserver.
  • You prefer one self-contained binary with low upkeep: Mox.
  • You only need a browser mail client for an existing server: Roundcube.

Before you adopt it

WildDuck is released under the EUPL-1.2 or any later version, an OSI-approved copyleft license from the European Union. The repository has no paid parts and no contributor agreement was found. Zone Media maintains the code through the zone-eu organization; eight authors made 150 commits in the past 90 days, and v1.55.3 came out in November 2026. A Docker image exists, and the included compose file starts the server together with Redis and MongoDB, both of which you will need to run and back up in production.

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 wildduck 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
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Docker image
ghcr.io/zone-eu/wildduck: x86-64, ARM64
Compose file
docker-compose.yml: 3 services (redis, mongodb)
Setup effort
2 of 5, judged from the compose file
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: wildduck.email or the README on GitHub. Docker images and packages are checked weekly.

wildduck health: is it still maintained?

80 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmAlmost dailyLatest: v1.55.3, 2 November 2026
Issue repliesWithin ~2 daysMedian first reply; 81% of recent issues answered
Bus factorMedium riskThe most active of 8 authors wrote 50% of recent commits
  • Activity
    154 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 9 November 2026.
    27 / 30
  • Contributors
    8 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 50% of them.
    13 / 20
  • Releases
    14+ releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v1.55.3, on 2 November 2026.
    19 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 81% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 2 days.
    16 / 20
  • Security practices
    No OpenSSF Scorecard for this repository yet, so this part gets a neutral score.
    5 / 10

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

wildduck 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.

Security advisoriesNone publishedNo advisories in the repository’s Security tab

Advisories read from GitHub on 12 November 2026.

wildduck license: is it open source?

wildduck uses EUPL-1.2, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. March 2017First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayEUPL-1.2.

wildduck for developers

Written in

  • JavaScript 98%
  • Shell <1%
  • HTML <1%
  • TypeScript <1%
  • Lua <1%
  • Other <1%

Getting involved

Contributing guideNot foundNo CONTRIBUTING file in the repository
Open issues7On GitHub
Authors, 90 days8Of the latest 100 commits

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

Alternatives to wildduck

  • MailuInsular email distribution - mail server as Docker images 76 health · MIT · 7.6k stars
  • Moxmodern full-featured open source secure mail server for low-maintenance self-hosted email 59 health · MIT · 5.9k stars
  • 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
  • docker-mailserverProduction-ready fullstack but simple mail server (SMTP, IMAP, LDAP, Antispam, Antivirus, etc.) running… 80 health · MIT · 19.7k stars
  • Maddy Mail ServerComposable all-in-one mail server. 73 health · GPL-3.0 · 6.1k stars

All 17 projects in Email servers & webmail

Questions about wildduck

Is wildduck open source?

Yes. wildduck is published under EUPL-1.2, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is wildduck still maintained?

Its health score is 80 of 100 (actively developed). It had 154 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 9 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 2 November 2026.

How do I run wildduck?

You can run it with the Docker image ghcr.io/zone-eu/wildduck. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What is wildduck written in?

wildduck is written mainly in JavaScript (98% of the code), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What are the alternatives to wildduck?

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