Dovecot 2.4 migration / passwd authentication

10 Jul 2025


      Hello,
I have problem getting passwd/userdb to work on 2.4.
Debian 13 Trixie, Exim4, Dovecot 2.4.0.
pop3, lmtp
On a 2.3 system I could use:
passdb {
driver=passwd-file
args = /etc/dovecot/passwd
}
userdb {
driver=static
args = uid=vmail gid=vmail home=/home/vmail/%u
}
service lmtp {
unix_listener lmtp {
}
}
passwd looks like this:
test@onedomain.tlda:{BLF-CRYPT}$2y$05$[encoded]
test@domain.tld:{ARGON2ID}$argon2id$v=19$m=65536,t=3,p=1$[encoded]
test@two-domain.tldb:{ARGON2ID}$argon2id$v=19$m=65536,t=3,p=1$[encoded]
I want to keep the passwd file as is, no extra fields.
mail_uid = vmail
mail_gid = vmail
mail_home = /var/vmail/%{user}
mail_driver = maildir
mail_path = /home/vmail/%{user}/Maildir
pop3_uidl_format = %{guid}
passdb passwd-file {
driver=passwd-file
}
userdb static {
driver=static
}
Directory /var/vmail/test@domain.tld exists (empty).
This doesn't work. Error messages:
Exim log - attempt to deliver message:
** test@domain.tld R=dovecot_myrouter_lmtp T=dovecot_transport_lmtp: LMTP error after RCPT TO:<test@domain.tld>: 550 5.1.1 <test@domain.tld> User doesn't exist: test@domain.tld
Dovecot debug log:
master: Info: Dovecot v2.4.1-4 (7d8c0e5759) starting up for pop3, lmtp (core dumps disabled)
auth(info): Info: passwd-file: unknown user  - trying the next passdb
lmtp(16933): Debug: Effective uid=0, gid=0, home=/run/dovecot/empty
lmtp(16933): Debug: none: root=/home/vmail/raw-mail-user/Maildir, index=, indexpvt=, control=, inbox=, alt=
lmtp(test@domain.tld)<16933><[some_string]>: Debug: auth-master: userdb lookup(test@domain.tld): Started userdb lookup
lmtp(test@domain.tld)<16933><[some_string]>: Debug: auth-master: conn unix:/run/dovecot/auth-userdb: Connecting
lmtp(test@domain.tld)<16933><[some_string]>: Debug: auth-master: conn unix:/run/dovecot/auth-userdb (pid=16922,uid=0): Client connected (fd=16)
lmtp(test@domain.tld)<16933><[some_string]>: Debug: auth-master: conn unix:/run/dovecot/auth-userdb (pid=16922,uid=0): auth input:
lmtp(test@domain.tld)<16933><[some_string]>: Debug: auth-master: userdb lookup(test@domain.tld): auth USER input:
lmtp(test@domain.tld)<16933><[some_string]>: Debug: auth-master: userdb lookup(test@domain.tld): Userdb lookup failed
lmtp(16933): Debug: User session is finished
doveadm user test@domain.tld
field   value
uid     vmail
gid     vmail
home    /home/vmail/test@domain.tld
mail_path       /home/vmail/test@domain.tld/Maildir
How can this be fixed?
Thank you for any help!
John
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