Dovecot
IMAP and POP3 server written primarily with security in mind.
- Email Servers
- C
- MIT
- Actively maintained
GitHub stats
- GitHub stars
- 1,261
- Forks
- 358
- Open issues
- 0
- Commits, last 12 months
- 1,633
- Last commit
- Oct 5, 2026
- Latest release
- 2.4.5Aug 28, 2026
- Created
- Dec 9, 2015
Data from the GitHub API, refreshed daily.
About Dovecot
IMAP and POP3 server written primarily with security in mind. Dovecot is open source under the MIT license and written mainly in C, so you can read the code, run it on your own hardware and keep full control of your data.
The project has 1,261 stars and 358 forks on GitHub, with 1,633 commits over the last year. It installs natively rather than through an official Docker image, so plan for a short manual setup.
Topics
- imap4
- pop3
- submission
- lmtp
- imap
- smtp
Repository preview
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What is Dovecot?
Dovecot is a free, open-source app you can host on your own server, listed in our Email Servers category. IMAP and POP3 server written primarily with security in mind. The source code lives at github.com/dovecot/core, where it has 1,261 stars.
Is Dovecot free and open source?
Yes. Dovecot is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I run Dovecot with Docker?
Dovecot does not list an official Docker image. It installs natively (C and deb), so follow the install steps in its README or look for a community-maintained container.
What are the best alternatives to Dovecot?
Popular open-source alternatives to Dovecot include docker-mailserver, Postal and Mail-in-a-Box.
Is Dovecot actively maintained?
The most recent commit to Dovecot was on Oct 5, 2026 with 1,633 commits in the past twelve months. The latest release is 2.4.5, published Aug 28, 2026. Check the open issues on GitHub to gauge how quickly maintainers respond.