On Sun, Feb 15, 2026 at 7:29 PM Steve Litt via dovecot <dovecot@dovecot.org> wrote:
Washington Odhiambo via dovecot said on Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:06:18 +0300
On Sat, Feb 14, 2026 at 5:46 PM Steve Litt via dovecot <dovecot@dovecot.org> wrote:
Hi all,
Some time has gone by, so I'm hoping there's some good documentation for somebody needing syntax help on building a 2.4.x Dovecot.
I've seen https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.0/installation/upgrade/2.3-to-2.4.html , but it's not useful to me because I don't know *where* all those various pieces go. Which things go in what curly braces? It doesn't say.
https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/config/quick.html looks like an excellent starting place. Do you agree?
What other *simple* documentation do you recommend? Because I am not and never was a Dovecot expert, I'll need something that does a considerable amount of teaching: A sort of Dovecot 4.2 For Dummies type thing.
Thanks,
SteveT
Steve Litt
If you've never run Dovecot before,
I've run Dovecot since 2013. However, I'm not an Dovecot expert because up until the 2.4.x change, it just always worked. I set it up in 2013 and hardly ever touched it after that.
I've never used a different IMAP server on my computer.
then you perhaps have run other POP3/IMAP4 servers, no?
And all you need to do is:
- Decide how you store the emails - Maildir or mbox. Tell Dovecot that using the relevant config params
I must continue to use Maildir because that's what Procmail can write to. Also I wouldn't use mbox because there are too many varieties of mbox, and also, because Maildir has been working perfectly for me since 2013.
- You want to run IMAP4/ POP3 daemons - tell dovecot to start the ones you want via the relevant config params
I want to run IMAP only.
- User database - is it a flat file, PAM, or RDBM? - tell Dovecot that via userdb and passdb directives.
I use PAM because it's all I know, and it's good enough for my purposes. The entire reason I use of a local IMAP server is to store my emails in an email-client agnostic way. My use case isn't at all challenging.
Since https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/config/quick.html has already told you that, go ahead and use it.
That document isn't useful to me because it tells what things are and their possible values, but not the syntax. That document is like a book on C that tells you all the keywords but doesn't cover where to put braces, semicolons, doesn't discuss stuff like binding order, and myfunction() && printf("It worked.\n"). Wonderful reference for the guy who knows C, useless for the guy who knows no C.
If you get stuck, look at the log files
Thanks for that reminder Washington. I forget to look at the logs way too often. I'll do that. Is there any special Dovecot log file, or just the general one (/var/log/messages --- I don't use systemd)?
and ask questions here.
Definitely! This is where I learned of the quick start and the converter, which are the two best tools I have so far. I'd be dead meat without this list.
Alternatively, many people have written HOWTOs for Dovecot 2.4 that you can read and implement.
Yes! Those HOWTOs are what I haven't been able to find, or at least the good ones. If anybody knows of any good, accurate HOWTOs for Dovecot 2.4.x, please let me know their URLs.
Last but not least, you can get someone to set up Dovecot for you.
Thanks! That's actually not a bad idea, but I'm going to try very hard to do it myself. I always fix my own bicycle (I don't have a car), I usually fix my own hardware and software problems, and I fix my own electronics. That's just how I usually operate. But if I can't, yeah, I'll pay somebody to do it.
Let me tell you what I've done so far. Last night I made a Void Linux Qemu VM with Claws-Mail and Dovecot. Using the 2.4.2 Quick Start doveconf.conf, dovecot -F ran if I commented out the ssl_server_cert_file and ssl_server_key_file lines, which makes perfect sense because I haven't yet created the .pem files on VM.
When I have time in the next couple days I'll
Copy my Daily Driver Desktop (DDD) Maildir to the VM
Make sure I can access, move and delete messages from Claws-Mail
Create my .pem files
Uncomment the .pem files
Make sure it still works
Do what's required to make sure it *only* works with SSL, never plain text.
Enable fetchmail and procmail to insert messages from a test email account, and send messages to that account.
Modify the VM setup so it's exactly like my DDD setup
Back up my DDD paying particular attention to all things Dovecot
Re-create the VM's setup on my DDD
Test and troubleshoot
Back up the new setup
Write docs on my exact procedures so that anybody else with my use case and lack of knowledge can easily follow in my footsteps.
Thanks Washington!
SteveT
Steve Litt
Your dovecot.conf, in its simplest form should contain the below: <CUT> dovecot_config_version = 2.4.2 dovecot_storage_version = 2.4.2
mail_driver = maildir mail_path = ~/Maildir mailbox_list_layout = fs protocols = imap listen = 127.0.0.1 auth_allow_cleartext = yes auth_mechanisms = plain login userdb passwd { driver = passwd } passdb pam { driver = pam } </CUT>
The test can easily just be the defaults shipped with Dovecot.
I also hope that you've heard about https://dovecot.org/upgrader/. It probably suffices for your server as your configuration/use case doesn't seem complex.
-- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 In an Internet failure case, the #1 suspect is a constant: DNS. "Oh, the cruft.", egrep -v '^$|^.*#' ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :-) [How to ask smart questions: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html]
On Sun, Feb 15, 2026 at 7:29PM Steve Litt via dovecot <[1]dovecot@dovecot.org> wrote:
Washington Odhiambo via dovecot said on Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:06:18 +0300
>On Sat, Feb 14, 2026 at 5:46PM Steve Litt via dovecot
><[2]dovecot@dovecot.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Some time has gone by, so I'm hoping there's some good documentation
>> for somebody needing syntax help on building a 2.4.x Dovecot.
>>
>> I've seen
>> [3]https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.0/installation/upgrade/2.3-to-2.4.html
,
>> but it's not useful to me because I don't know *where* all those
>> various pieces go. Which things go in what curly braces? It doesn't
>> say.
>>
>> [4]https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/config/quick.html looks like an
>> excellent starting place. Do you agree?
>>
>> What other *simple* documentation do you recommend? Because I am not
>> and never was a Dovecot expert, I'll need something that does a
>> considerable amount of teaching: A sort of Dovecot 4.2 For Dummies
>> type thing.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> SteveT
>>
>> Steve Litt
>
>
>If you've never run Dovecot before,
I've run Dovecot since 2013. However, I'm not an Dovecot expert because
up until the 2.4.x change, it just always worked. I set it up in 2013
and hardly ever touched it after that.
I've never used a different IMAP server on my computer.
> then you perhaps have run other
>POP3/IMAP4 servers, no?
>And all you need to do is:
>1. Decide how you store the emails - Maildir or mbox. Tell Dovecot that
>using the relevant config params
I must continue to use Maildir because that's what Procmail can write
to. Also I wouldn't use mbox because there are too many varieties of
mbox, and also, because Maildir has been working perfectly for me since
2013.
>2. You want to run IMAP4/ POP3 daemons - tell dovecot to start the
>ones you want via the relevant config params
I want to run IMAP only.
>3. User database - is it a flat file, PAM, or RDBM? - tell Dovecot
>that via userdb and passdb directives.
I use PAM because it's all I know, and it's good enough for my
purposes. The entire reason I use of a local IMAP server is to store my
emails in an email-client agnostic way. My use case isn't at all
challenging.
>
>Since [5]https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/config/quick.html has
already
>told you that, go ahead and use it.
That document isn't useful to me because it tells what things are and
their possible values, but not the syntax. That document is like a book
on C that tells you all the keywords but doesn't cover where to put
braces, semicolons, doesn't discuss stuff like binding order, and
myfunction() && printf("It worked.\n"). Wonderful reference for the guy
who knows C, useless for the guy who knows no C.
>If you get stuck, look at the log
>files
Thanks for that reminder Washington. I forget to look at the logs way
too often. I'll do that. Is there any special Dovecot log file, or just
the general one (/var/log/messages --- I don't use systemd)?
>and ask questions here.
Definitely! This is where I learned of the quick start and the
converter, which are the two best tools I have so far. I'd be dead meat
without this list.
>Alternatively, many people have written HOWTOs for Dovecot 2.4 that
>you can read and implement.
Yes! Those HOWTOs are what I haven't been able to find, or at least the
good ones. If anybody knows of any good, accurate HOWTOs for Dovecot
2.4.x, please let me know their URLs.
>Last but not least, you can get someone to set up Dovecot for you.
Thanks! That's actually not a bad idea, but I'm going to try very hard
to do it myself. I always fix my own bicycle (I don't have a car), I
usually fix my own hardware and software problems, and I fix my own
electronics. That's just how I usually operate. But if I can't, yeah,
I'll pay somebody to do it.
Let me tell you what I've done so far. Last night I made a Void Linux
Qemu VM with Claws-Mail and Dovecot. Using the 2.4.2 Quick Start
doveconf.conf, dovecot -F ran if I commented out the
ssl_server_cert_file and ssl_server_key_file lines, which makes perfect
sense because I haven't yet created the .pem files on VM.
When I have time in the next couple days I'll
* Copy my Daily Driver Desktop (DDD) Maildir to the VM
* Make sure I can access, move and delete messages from Claws-Mail
* Create my .pem files
* Uncomment the .pem files
* Make sure it still works
* Do what's required to make sure it *only* works with SSL, never plain
text.
* Enable fetchmail and procmail to insert messages from a test email
account, and send messages to that account.
* Modify the VM setup so it's exactly like my DDD setup
* Back up my DDD paying particular attention to all things Dovecot
* Re-create the VM's setup on my DDD
* Test and troubleshoot
* Back up the new setup
* Write docs on my exact procedures so that anybody else with my use
case and lack of knowledge can easily follow in my footsteps.
Thanks Washington!
SteveT
Steve LittYour dovecot.conf, in its simplest form should contain the below: <CUT> dovecot_config_version = 2.4.2 dovecot_storage_version = 2.4.2
mail_driver = maildir mail_path = ~/Maildir mailbox_list_layout = fs protocols = imap listen = 127.0.0.1 auth_allow_cleartext = yes auth_mechanisms = plain login userdb passwd { driver = passwd } passdb pam { driver = pam } </CUT> The test can easily just be the defaults shipped with Dovecot. I also hope that you've heard about [6]https://dovecot.org/upgrader/. It probably suffices for your server as your configuration/use case doesn't seem complex.
Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 In an Internet failure case, the #1 suspect is a constant: DNS. "Oh, the cruft.", egrep -v '^$|^.*#' -\_(Tu)_/- :-) [How to ask smart questions: [7]http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html]
References
Visible links
- mailto:dovecot@dovecot.org
- mailto:dovecot@dovecot.org
- https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.0/installation/upgrade/2.3-to-2.4.html
- https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/config/quick.html
- https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/config/quick.html
- https://dovecot.org/upgrader/
- http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html