qmail is a mail transfer agent (MTA) written by Daniel J. Bernstein in 1996 as a more secure alternative to Sendmail. qmail was designed with security as the primary goal, featuring a modular architecture and privilege separation. The last official release was in 1998, though the software remains in use in some legacy systems.
- Latest Release: 1.03 (June 1998)
- Status: Not under active development
- Public Domain: Released into public domain (1998)
- Patches: Community patches available (not official)
- Security-First Design: Modular architecture with privilege separation
- Maildir Format: Introduced Maildir mailbox format
- Atomic Delivery: Guaranteed atomic message delivery
- Simple Configuration: Simpler than Sendmail
- Performance: Efficient for its time
- Stability: Known for reliable operation
- Legacy Systems: Maintaining existing qmail installations
- Security Research: Studying secure software design
- Historical Interest: Learning email system evolution
- Minimal Setups: Simple, low-resource environments
- Language: C
- Architecture: Modular with separate programs for each function
- OS Support: Unix, Linux, BSD
- Dependencies: Standard Unix libraries
- Public Domain: Released into public domain by author
- Note: Some distributions include patches under various licenses
- ❌ Not Maintained - No official development since 1998
- ⚠️ Security Concerns - No security updates for 25+ years
- ⚠️ Legacy Only - Not recommended for new deployments
- ⚠️ Limited Support - Community support only
qmail was developed by Daniel J. Bernstein starting in 1995 as a secure alternative to Sendmail. It introduced several innovations including the Maildir format and modular architecture. However, Bernstein stopped development in 1998 due to license disputes and concerns about software liability.
- 1995: Development begins
- 1996: First public release
- 1998: Version 1.03 released, development halted
- 2000s: Community patches and variants (netqmail, notqmail)
- 2026: Still in use in some legacy systems
For new deployments, consider:
- Postfix: Sendmail-compatible, actively maintained
- Exim: Flexible, feature-rich, actively maintained
- OpenSMTPD: Modern, secure, from OpenBSD project
¶ History and References
- Original Website: http://cr.yp.to/qmail.html (archived)
- Community Patches: netqmail, notqmail projects
- Documentation: THE qmail Book (ISBN 0-596-00438-9)
Common issues and solutions:
- No security updates: Consider migrating to Postfix or Exim
- Limited documentation: Refer to THE qmail Book
- Compatibility issues: Community patches may help
👉 See qmail Configuration for detailed configuration guidance.
Any questions?
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