For example, something that is too complex for your comfort level, a security concern, or maybe your hardware can’t keep up with the service’s needs?

  • faethon@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Hosting an email server is pretty sure a magnet for half the Chinese IP range… So I would refrain from hosting that myself.

    • Tinnitus@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 years ago

      I figured email would be a common theme. I’m just starting to dip my toes into all of this, so an email server is not on my to-do list (and may never be).

      • body_by_make@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 years ago

        Google and other large scale providers have intentionally made it very difficult to self host your own email. It’s generally not considered a wise move these days and is very difficult to maintain.

        • peregus@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          Why do you say so? I’m not an expert in the fields, but isn’t a mail server pretty much the same as 20 years ago plus DKIM and SPF?

          • ikidd@lemmy.world
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            2 years ago

            With DKIM and SPF, I’ve had zero problems in the last 15 years of selfhosting, most recently with Mailcow Docker on a residential IP. I don’t even have a reverse PTR to my mailserver hostname, just a PTR provided by the ISP that can be resolved.

            I’ve added a few fresh, un-reputed domains to the server and had no issues.

            I think many people’s problems with running email servers are self-inflicted. I remember even before there were things like blacklists, etc with large providers, many people had problems keeping mailservers running. It’s just not an easy task for a variety of reasons completely unassociated with the mega’s blacklisting you. I’ve been running mailservers at various scales for 20+ years so maybe it’s just second nature to me now.

          • loppwn@sh.itjust.works
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            2 years ago

            ip-reputation is also important. Mailgun, an email service for mass mailing, is doing an „ip-warmup“ if you choose a dedicated ip. So, if you are self-hosting with dynamic-ip, i think you would have a very very low ip-reputation.

            • peregus@lemmy.world
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              2 years ago

              True, but this has nothing to do with Google and other, is a well done method to avoid spam.

              • loppwn@sh.itjust.works
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                2 years ago

                so what else is a factor for reputation? Or is it like if you dont pay to get your mail-domain whitelisted we lower your reputation score?

                • peregus@lemmy.world
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                  2 years ago

                  No idea! I don’t run my own mail server. But if you read a bit up here, there’s a guy who runs his own mail server(s) since years. But the selfhosted world seems to be full (well…not so full) of people that self host their mail server.

      • Monkeyclock1234@lemm.ee
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        2 years ago

        I have an email server but it is not my main email account. I’m purely only using it to learn and to have email notifications sent out from a few services. I do not trust myself or my setup enough to have my main email account hosted on it

    • Anafroj@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      Gladly, fail2ban exists. :) Note that it’s not just smtp anyway. Anything on port 22 (ssh) or 80/443 (http/https) get constantly tested as well. I’ve actually set up fail2ban rules to ban anyone who is querying / on my webserver, it catches of lot of those pests.

    • peregus@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Me too, I’ll never self host my email server. Too much time that I don’t have to set it up correctly, manage the antispam and other thing that I don’t even know . And if it goes down and I don’t have time to look into it (which would be the case 95% of the time 🙈), I’ll be without email for I don’t know how long.

      • shrugal@lemm.ee
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        2 years ago

        I’ve been self-hosting a personal email server for about half a year now, and it was definitely challenging! But it also tought me quite a bit about how the system works, so I think it was worth it. There are solutions for everything, but you definitely need some time and patience.