# Chatmail instances optimized for Delta Chat apps This repository helps to setup a ready-to-use chatmail instance comprised of a minimal setup of the battle-tested [postfix smtp](https://www.postfix.org) and [dovecot imap](https://www.dovecot.org) services. The setup is designed and optimized for providing chatmail accounts for use by [Delta Chat apps](https://delta.chat). Chatmail accounts are automatically created by a first login, after which the initially specified password is required for using them. ## Getting Started deploying your own chatmail instance 1. Setup a domain with `A` and `AAAA` records for your chatmail server. 2. Prepare your local system for deploying to $CHATMAIL_DOMAIN: scripts/init.sh $CHATMAIL_DOMAIN 3. Edit the generated `chatmail.ini` file 4. Deploy chatmail services remotely: scripts/deploy.sh chatmail.ini 5. Run `scripts/generate-dns-zone.sh` and transfer the generated DNS `chatmail.zone` records to your DNS provider ### Home page and getting started for users The `deploy.sh` script deploys - a default `index.html` along with a QR code that users can click to create accounts on your chatmail provider, - a default `info.html` that is linked from the home page, - a default `policy.html` that is linked from the home page. All files are generated by the according markdown `.md` file in the `www` directory. ### Refining the web pages The `scripts/webdev.sh` script supports live development of the chatmail web presence: ``` scripts/init.sh # to locally initialize python virtual environments etc. scripts/webdev.sh ``` - uses the `www/src/page-layout.html` file for producing html documents from `www/src/*.md` files. - continously builds the web presence reading files from `www/src` directory and generating html files and copying assets to the `www/build` directory. - Starts a browser window automatically where you can "refresh" as needed. Note that this script is not needed for running `scripts/deploy.sh" which deploys the whole chatmail setup remotely. The code that generates the web pages is identical which means that `webdev.sh` gives a pretty good preview. ### Ports Postfix listens on ports 25 (smtp) and 587 (submission) and 465 (submissions). Dovecot listens on ports 143(imap) and 993 (imaps). Delta Chat will, however, discover all ports and configurations automatically by reading the `autoconfig.xml` file from the chatmail instance. ## Emergency Commands to disable automatic account creation If you need to stop account creation, e.g. because some script is wildly creating accounts, run: touch /etc/chatmail-nocreate While this file is present, account creation will be blocked. ## Running tests and benchmarks (offline and online) 1. Set `CHATMAIL_SSH` so that `ssh root@$CHATMAIL_SSH` allows to login to the chatmail instance server. 2. To run local and online tests: scripts/test.sh 3. To run benchmarks against your chatmail instance: scripts/bench.sh ## Development Background for chatmail instances This repository drives the development of "chatmail instances", comprised of minimal setups of - [postfix smtp server](https://www.postfix.org) - [dovecot imap server](https://www.dovecot.org) as well as two custom services that are integrated with these two: - `chatmaild/src/chatmaild/doveauth.py` implements create-on-login account creation semantics and is used by Dovecot during login authentication and by Postfix which in turn uses [Dovecot SASL](https://doc.dovecot.org/configuration_manual/authentication/dict/#complete-example-for-authenticating-via-a-unix-socket) to authenticate users to send mails for them. - `chatmaild/src/chatmaild/filtermail.py` prevents unencrypted e-mail from leaving the chatmail instance and is integrated into postfix's outbound mail pipelines.