RFC: HTTP based storage API

[Timo Sirainen]

On 08 Feb 2016, at 11:01, Nagy, Attila <bra at fsn.hu> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Nearly every popular programming language has an LMTP/POP/IMAP implementation, most of them suck in many different ways.
> I don't know any server or library which provides a well-established, compatible protocol frontend with an open backend API, which could be used to easily make a custom storage backend for the LMTP/POP/IMAP frontend in any language, in any programming paradigm, irregardless of the frontend implementation.
> 
> Dovecot is very close to this: it speaks IMAP to the backend, but you still have to make a nearly complete IMAP implementation, which is a PITA.
> 
> Therefore I am curious about your opinion: what about an HTTP-based open backend (lib-storage) API to Dovecot?

We're planning on implementing http://jmap.io/ to Dovecot v2.3. It's close enough to how Dovecot works internally (although we'd still need the threading support) and also at least attempting to become a standard. We haven't really started it yet though, so now would be a good time to give any alternative suggestions or complaints about jmap :)