alpine

Open alpine normally

$ alpine

$ alpine [email@example.net]

$ q + y

alpine [options] [address ...]

-f folder
    Specify the folder to open upon startup. For example, -f inbox.

-i
    Force Alpine into interactive mode, even if input is not from a terminal.

-k
    Enable keyboard shortcuts (K-mode), often for users accustomed to older systems.

-p printer
    Specify the printer to use for printing messages.

-r remote-host
    Specify a remote-host for IMAP or NNTP operations if not configured globally.

-s subject
    Provide a subject for a new message being composed.

-t address
    Specify a recipient address when starting Alpine to compose a new message.

-v
    Display the version information of Alpine and exit.

address ...
    If addresses are provided without options, Alpine will start composing a new message to these recipients.

Alpine is a free, open-source, text-based email and news client developed at the University of Washington. It is the spiritual successor and largely compatible replacement for the widely popular Pine email client. Designed to be easy to use and efficient within a terminal environment, Alpine offers comprehensive features for managing email, including support for IMAP, POP, and SMTP protocols. Users can compose, send, receive, and organize messages, manage address books, and handle attachments. Its intuitive, menu-driven interface, often leveraging keyboard shortcuts, makes it a favored choice for command-line users, system administrators, and those accessing email remotely via SSH. Alpine also integrates the simple Pico text editor for message composition, contributing to its streamlined workflow. While its text-only interface might be unfamiliar to users accustomed to graphical clients, its speed, stability, and robust feature set make it a powerful tool for email management in Unix-like operating systems.

Alpine's text-based user interface might be unfamiliar to users accustomed to modern graphical email clients. While powerful, its configuration can be intricate for advanced features or integrating with specific mail servers. Active development has slowed considerably compared to its peak popularity.

Alpine often uses the Pico text editor for composing messages, known for its simplicity and ease of use.
This editor is also available as a standalone command (pico(1)).

Designed for efficiency in a text-only terminal environment, Alpine is ideal for remote SSH access where graphical interfaces are not available or desirable. Its navigation is primarily keyboard-driven.

The Alpine email client originated as a free and open-source successor to Pine (Program for Internet News and Email), which was developed at the University of Washington starting in 1989. Pine became immensely popular, especially in Unix and academic environments. However, licensing disputes and the desire for a fully open-source email client led to the development of Alpine. Released under the Apache License 2.0, Alpine aimed to provide a compatible and familiar experience while being entirely free software. It largely retains the user interface, keybindings, and feature set that made Pine widely used.

mutt(1), pine(1), mail(1), pico(1)