info > smtpd(8)

📖 NAME

smtpd - Postfix SMTP server

🚀 Quick Reference

Use CaseCommand / ParameterDescription
Run SMTP serversmtpd [generic Postfix daemon options]Accept network connections and perform SMTP transactions.
Sendmail compatibilitysendmail -bsRun SMTP server in stand-alone mode.
Reload configurationpostfix reloadSpeed up changes to main.cf for smtpd processes.
Enable SASL Authsmtpd_sasl_auth_enable = yesEnable SASL authentication (RFC 4954) for remote SMTP clients.
Enable STARTTLSsmtpd_tls_security_level = mayAnnounce and support STARTTLS, but do not require it.
Require STARTTLSsmtpd_tls_security_level = encryptRequire TLS encryption for all SMTP connections.
Before-Queue Content Filtersmtpd_proxy_filter = host:portSend incoming mail to a real-time SMTP-based content filter before queuing.
Milter Supportsmtpd_milters = inet:host:portSpecify Milter applications for inspecting SMTP command stream.
Access Controlsmtpd_recipient_restrictions = ...Apply restrictions in the context of RCPT TO command.
Debuggingdebug_peer_list = hostnameIncrease verbose logging for specific remote clients or destinations.
Rate Limitingsmtpd_client_connection_rate_limit = nLimit connection attempts per time unit from any client.

🖥️ SYNOPSIS

smtpd [generic Postfix daemon options]

sendmail -bs

📝 DESCRIPTION

The SMTP server accepts network connection requests and performs zero or more SMTP transactions per connection. Each received message is piped through the cleanup(8) daemon, and is placed into the incoming queue as one single queue file. For this mode of operation, the program expects to be run from the master(8) process manager.

Alternatively, the SMTP server can be run in stand-alone mode; this is traditionally obtained with "sendmail -bs". When the SMTP server runs stand-alone with non $mail_owner privileges, it receives mail even while the mail system is not running, deposits messages directly into the maildrop queue, and disables the SMTP server's access policies. As of Postfix version 2.3, the SMTP server refuses to receive mail from the network when it runs with non $mail_owner privileges.

The SMTP server implements a variety of policies for connection requests, and for parameters given to HELO, ETRN, MAIL FROM, VRFY and RCPT TO commands. They are detailed below and in the main.cf configuration file.

🔒 SECURITY

The SMTP server is moderately security-sensitive. It talks to SMTP clients and to DNS servers on the network. The SMTP server can be run chrooted at fixed low privilege.

📜 STANDARDS

🩺 DIAGNOSTICS

Problems and transactions are logged to syslogd(8) or postlogd(8).

Depending on the setting of the notify_classes parameter, the postmaster is notified of bounces, protocol problems, policy violations, and of other trouble.

⚙️ CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS

Changes to main.cf are picked up automatically, as smtpd(8) processes run for only a limited amount of time. Use the command postfix reload to speed up a change.

The text below provides only a parameter summary. See postconf(5) for more details including examples.

🔄 Compatibility Controls

These parameters work around implementation errors in other software, and/or allow you to override standards in order to prevent undesirable use.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.1 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.2 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.3 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.6 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.7 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.9 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.0 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.6 and later:

✉️ Address Rewriting Controls

See the ADDRESS_REWRITING_README document for a detailed discussion of Postfix address rewriting.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.2 and later:

🔄 Before-SMTPD Proxy Agent

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.10 and later:

📦 After Queue External Content Inspection Controls

As of version 1.0, Postfix can be configured to send new mail to an external content filter AFTER the mail is queued. This content filter is expected to inject mail back into a (Postfix or other) MTA for further delivery. See the FILTER_README document for details.

⏳ Before Queue External Content Inspection Controls

As of version 2.1, the Postfix SMTP server can be configured to send incoming mail to a real-time SMTP-based content filter BEFORE mail is queued. This content filter is expected to inject mail back into Postfix. See the SMTPD_PROXY_README document for details on how to configure and operate this feature.

🛡️ Before Queue Milter Controls

As of version 2.3, Postfix supports the Sendmail version 8 Milter (mail filter) protocol. These content filters run outside Postfix. They can inspect the SMTP command stream and the message content, and can request modifications before mail is queued. For details see the MILTER_README document.

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.1 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.2 and later:

📋 General Content Inspection Controls

These parameters are applicable for both built-in and external content filters.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.1 and later:

🌐 External Content Inspection Controls

These parameters are applicable for both before-queue and after-queue content filtering.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.1 and later:

🔑 SASL Authentication Controls

Postfix SASL support (RFC 4954) can be used to authenticate remote SMTP clients to the Postfix SMTP server, and to authenticate the Postfix SMTP client to a remote SMTP server. See the SASL_README document for details.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.1 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.1 and 2.2:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.3 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.5 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.11 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.4 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix 3.6 and later:

🔒 STARTTLS Support Controls

Detailed information about STARTTLS configuration may be found in the TLS_README document.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.5 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.6 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.8 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.11 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.0 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.2 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.4 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix 3.5, 3.4.6, 3.3.5, 3.2.10, 3.1.13 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix 3.5 and later:

🗑️ Obsolete STARTTLS Controls

These configuration parameters exist for compatibility with Postfix versions before 2.3. Support for these will be removed in a future release.

🌍 SMTPUTF8 Controls

Preliminary SMTPUTF8 support is introduced with Postfix 3.0.

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.2 and later:

📬 VERP Support Controls

With VERP style delivery, each recipient of a message receives a customized copy of the message with his/her own recipient address encoded in the envelope sender address. The VERP_README file describes configuration and operation details of Postfix support for variable envelope return path addresses. VERP style delivery is requested with the SMTP XVERP command or with the "sendmail -V" command-line option and is available in Postfix version 1.1 and later.

📅 Available in Postfix version 1.1 and 2.0:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.1 and later:

🐛 Troubleshooting Controls

The DEBUG_README document describes how to debug parts of the Postfix mail system. The methods vary from making the software log a lot of detail, to running some daemon processes under control of a call tracer or debugger.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.1 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.10 and later:

👤 Known vs Unknown Recipient Controls

As of Postfix version 2.0, the SMTP server rejects mail for unknown recipients. This prevents the mail queue from clogging up with undeliverable MAILER-DAEMON messages. Additional information on this topic is in the LOCAL_RECIPIENT_README and ADDRESS_CLASS_README documents.

Parameters concerning known/unknown local recipients:

Parameters concerning known/unknown recipients of relay destinations:

Parameters concerning known/unknown recipients in virtual alias domains:

Parameters concerning known/unknown recipients in virtual mailbox domains:

⚡ Resource and Rate Controls

These parameters limit resource usage by the SMTP server and/or control client request rates.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.3 and later:

The per SMTP client connection count and request rate limits are implemented in co-operation with the anvil(8) service, and are available in Postfix version 2.2 and later.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.3 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.9 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.1 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix 3.9, 3.8.4, 3.7.9, 3.6.13, 3.5.23 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix 3.9, 3.8.5, 3.7.10, 3.6.14, 3.5.24 and later:

🐌 Tarpit Controls

When a remote SMTP client makes errors, the Postfix SMTP server can insert delays before responding. This can help to slow down run-away software. The behavior is controlled by an error counter that counts the number of errors within an SMTP session that a client makes without delivering mail.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.1 and later:

🤝 Access Policy Delegation Controls

As of version 2.1, Postfix can be configured to delegate access policy decisions to an external server that runs outside Postfix. See the file SMTPD_POLICY_README for more information.

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.0 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 3.1 and later:

🚧 Access Controls

The SMTPD_ACCESS_README document gives an introduction to all the SMTP server access control features.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.0 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.1 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.2 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.10 and later:

✅ Sender and Recipient Address Verification Controls

Postfix version 2.1 introduces sender and recipient address verification. This feature is implemented by sending probe email messages that are not actually delivered. This feature is requested via the reject_unverified_sender and reject_unverified_recipient access restrictions. The status of verification probes is maintained by the verify(8) server. See the file ADDRESS_VERIFICATION_README for information about how to configure and operate the Postfix sender/recipient address verification service.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.6 and later:

📅 Available with Postfix 2.9 and later:

📨 Access Control Responses

These parameters control numerical SMTP reply codes and/or text responses.

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.0 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.6 and later:

📂 Miscellaneous Controls

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.2 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix version 2.5 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix 3.3 and later:

📅 Available in Postfix 3.4 and later:

📚 SEE ALSO

📄 README FILES

Use "postconf readme_directory" or "postconf html_directory" to locate this information.

📜 LICENSE

The Secure Mailer license must be distributed with this software.

👤 AUTHOR(S)

smtpd(8)
📖 NAME 🚀 Quick Reference 🖥️ SYNOPSIS 📝 DESCRIPTION 🔒 SECURITY 📜 STANDARDS 🩺 DIAGNOSTICS ⚙️ CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS
🔄 Compatibility Controls ✉️ Address Rewriting Controls 🔄 Before-SMTPD Proxy Agent 📦 After Queue External Content Inspection Controls ⏳ Before Queue External Content Inspection Controls 🛡️ Before Queue Milter Controls 📋 General Content Inspection Controls 🌐 External Content Inspection Controls 🔑 SASL Authentication Controls 🔒 STARTTLS Support Controls 🗑️ Obsolete STARTTLS Controls 🌍 SMTPUTF8 Controls 📬 VERP Support Controls 🐛 Troubleshooting Controls 👤 Known vs Unknown Recipient Controls ⚡ Resource and Rate Controls 🐌 Tarpit Controls 🤝 Access Policy Delegation Controls 🚧 Access Controls ✅ Sender and Recipient Address Verification Controls 📨 Access Control Responses 📂 Miscellaneous Controls
📚 SEE ALSO 📄 README FILES 📜 LICENSE 👤 AUTHOR(S)

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