dovecot

dovecot [-F] [-c config-file] [-o setting=value] [-a anvil-socket] [-p pidfile] [-v] [-x executable]

-F, --foreground
    Run Dovecot daemon in the foreground (no daemonize).

-c, --config-file path
    Use specified configuration file (default: /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf).

-o, --option setting=value
    Override a single configuration setting (multiple allowed).

-a, --anvil socket-path
    Connect to anvil process socket (default: /var/run/dovecot/anvil).

-p, --pidfile path
    Write PID to custom file (default: system-specific).

-v, --version
    Display Dovecot version and exit.

-x, --exec-executable path
    Execute custom binary instead of default dovecot.

Dovecot is an open-source IMAP and POP3 server designed for Linux/UNIX-like systems, emphasizing security, speed, and reliability. It supports mail protocols including IMAP4rev1, POP3, and ManageSieve, with features like full-text search via Lucene, quota enforcement, maildir and mbox formats, and SSL/TLS encryption.

Dovecot acts as a Mail Delivery Agent (MDA) via LMTP and integrates with Postfix or Sendmail. It uses a modular plugin architecture for extensibility, such as auto-creation of mail directories or sieve scripting for mail filtering. Configuration is done via dovecot.conf (typically in /etc/dovecot/), allowing fine-grained control over authentication (PAM, LDAP, SQL), namespaces, and virtual users/domains.

Renowned for its low resource usage and crash-proof index files, Dovecot is used by major providers and self-hosted setups. It includes tools like doveadm for administration and doveconf for config inspection. Ideal for replacing Courier or UW-IMAP with modern, efficient mail storage access.

Requires root privileges to start; ensure config syntax with doveconf -n. Not for mail delivery—pair with MTA like Postfix. High-traffic setups need tuning for performance. IPv6 support varies by config.

Edit dovecot.conf for protocols, auth mechanisms (e.g., plain, digest-md5), and mail_location (maildir:~/Maildir). Test with doveconf -n.

Logs to syslog by default; set log_path in config for custom files. Use mail_debug=yes for troubleshooting.

Developed by Timo Sirainen starting 2002; first public release 2.0 in 2008. Evolved from personal project to industry standard, with v2.3+ adding major security/performance improvements. Maintained by Dovecot Foundation.

doveadm(1), doveconf(1), dovecot.conf(5), postfix(1), mail(7)