Can I use Mailcow on Linux VPS?

What this is#

Yes. Mailcow (dockerized) runs fine on our Linux VPS today. Older versions of this answer said no, that was our previous virtualization platform, and it no longer applies. Mailcow is Docker-based, and Docker works out of the box, so Mailcow's standard install guide applies unchanged. (Premium VPS runs it too, of course.)

Before you install#

• Size it right. Mailcow's own requirements ask for several GB of RAM (ClamAV and Solr are the heavy parts); a 6 GB plan is a comfortable floor for a personal or small-team setup.
• Set reverse DNS. Deliverability lives and dies on it: set the PTR for your IP to your mail hostname from the Network tab, and make sure the A record matches back. Add SPF, DKIM (Mailcow generates it), and DMARC in your DNS, the full deliverability checklist with testing tools is in Emails from my VPS go to spam.
• Read the email policy first. Outbound port 25 is open, and personal, team, and transactional mail is exactly what it's open for. Bulk or marketing mail is forbidden, our monitors block SMTP on mass-mail emission, and a blacklisted IP carries a $250-per-blacklist charge. A self-hosted mail server is for your mail, not a sending platform.

Our honest take#

Running your own mail is genuinely satisfying and Mailcow is the best tooling for it, but it's the most unforgiving thing you can self-host: deliverability, reputation, and upkeep are ongoing work. If you just need reliable mailboxes with zero maintenance, hosted mail is less pain; if you want to own your stack, Mailcow on a right-sized VPS with correct DNS is a fine home for it.

Still need help?#

You can open a support ticket. So we can help on the first reply, it's worth mentioning:

• the VPS hostname or IP and the mail domain,
• where the Mailcow setup stops, with the exact error.

Related questions#

• "Does Mailcow work on your Linux VPS?"
• "Can I run a mail server on my VPS?"
• "How much RAM does Mailcow need?"
• "What DNS records do I need for Mailcow?"