Setting Up Dovecot IMAP Server on Linux

What Is Dovecot?

Dovecot is a secure, high-performance IMAP and POP3 server for Linux. It works alongside an MTA like Postfix to provide complete email hosting — Postfix handles sending/receiving, Dovecot handles mailbox access.

Installation

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y dovecot-imapd dovecot-pop3d dovecot-lmtpd

Basic Configuration

Edit /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-mail.conf:

mail_location = maildir:~/Maildir

Edit /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-auth.conf:

disable_plaintext_auth = yes
auth_mechanisms = plain login

Edit /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-ssl.conf:

ssl = required
ssl_cert =