Hello,
On Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:05:57 drango wrote: > I am considering running my own email domain/server. > To protect my private home IP, I was thinking of using a VPS, > tunnelled back. > > Will the VPS "see" my email this way, relaying off the VPS server to > my local server? > (see diagram) > > Is there a better approach to retain privacy without revealing my IP? > > Would appreciate any input on this, as I have never run email myself > before. > Thanks for any suggestions > > DNS Domain VPS Host (static IP) > ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────┐ > │MX Record┼────►│OpenSMTPD │ > └─────────┘ └────┬─────┘ > │ > │ Wireguard tunnel > ▼ > ┌──────────┐ > │pf.conf │ (allow mail in) > │OpenSMTPD │ > └──────────┘ > No need for the wireguard tunnel. The VPS host is primary MX, so host dovecot there. Your devices can collect mail from anywhere in the world via IMAPS (SSL encrypted Internet Mail Access Protocol). Your laptop Claws-mail, Thunderbird, mobile phone Android gMail app, iOS MacMail app all connect to your VPS mail server via IMAP. Job done. Another way to do it is to have the VPS server as backup MX, your home server on a _static_ IP address as primary MX with port 25 only open to your VPS. (If your ISP actually supplies static IPv4 addresses & permits port 25 traffic to & from customers.... If you can't get a static IPv4 address at home with port 25 access both ways, forget it.) Other mail servers try to send to your primary MX machine at your home *static* IP address but the port is closed, so they fall back to sending mail to the backup MX machine at your VPS host. The VPS host spools the incoming mail & relays it to the primary MX machine, where you host dovecot for your IMAP laptop & mobile device clients anyway.... By the way:- running email servers is much more difficult & fiddly than running web or SQL/LDAP database servers. Email has many hidden worms & dragons to tame & overcome. rDNS, DKIM, SPF, ARC, DNSRBLs, IMAP/POP, sieve, spamd(1), etc, etc, etc. There's about 6 pernickety protocols to deal with in harmony, which fight against each other. Cheers, Craig.
