Run business email on your own domain with Mailcow, the open-source mail server suite, from a pre-configured image in your own Google Cloud project. Webmail, spam filtering and antivirus are included, and there is no per-mailbox fee.
Mailcow is an open-source, Docker-based mail server suite that bundles Postfix, Dovecot, SOGo webmail, Rspamd and ClamAV. With a hosted service like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 your mail lives on their servers; with Mailcow it lives on yours, under your control.
Postfix sends and receives mail, Dovecot stores it and serves IMAP.
Browser email with calendars and address books included.
Rspamd filters spam, with a quarantine you manage from the admin panel.
ClamAV scans incoming attachments.
Each domain gets its own DKIM key, quotas and settings.
Add domains, mailboxes and aliases from the browser.
Installing Mailcow yourself means Docker, SSL, firewall ports, DKIM, SPF, DMARC and Rspamd tuning. The marketplace image boots with the whole stack installed and connected.
Launch from Google Cloud Marketplace, then reserve the VM's external IP as static. A changing IP breaks your MX, A and PTR records.
Add an A record for your mail hostname and an MX record for your domain, and ask your provider for a matching reverse DNS (PTR) record.
Open https://your-mail-hostname/admin, sign in with the default credentials and change the admin password straight away.
Add the domain, publish its DKIM, SPF and DMARC records, then create mailboxes and log in to webmail.
A Google Cloud Marketplace image, deployed into your own GCP project with Terraform or the gcloud CLI.
Launch on Google Cloud Confirm these firewall rules exist for the VM under VPC Network → Firewall.
| Service | Ports | Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| SMTP and submission | 25, 465, 587 | TCP |
| IMAP and IMAPS | 143, 993 | TCP |
| Webmail and admin (HTTPS) | 443 | TCP |
| SSH (administration) | 22 | TCP |
Server size: e2-standard-2 (2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM) with a 32 GB disk suits a small team. Add CPU and disk for more mailboxes, attachments or longer retention.
| Mailcow by Meetrix | Google Workspace | Zimbra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Your own GCP project | Google's cloud | Self-hosted or Zimbra-hosted |
| Data control | Mail never leaves your project | Google holds and processes your mail | Yours, if you self-host it |
| Pricing model | Cloud compute only, no per-mailbox fee | Per-user monthly subscription | Free community edition or per-user licence |
| Data residency | Any region you choose | Google's data processing terms apply | Depends on where you host it |
Self-hosted mail puts deliverability in your hands, including your IP's reputation. Read the full Mailcow on Google Cloud comparison →
An open-source, Docker-based mail server suite that bundles Postfix, Dovecot, SOGo webmail, Rspamd and ClamAV, so you run business email on your own server instead of a hosted service.
An A record for your mail hostname, an MX record for your domain, and a PTR record for the static IP. After adding the domain, publish the DKIM key Mailcow generates plus the SPF and DMARC records it recommends.
Yes. Reserve one before pointing DNS at the server. If the VM restarts on an ephemeral IP, the address can change and break your mail records and delivery.
Check that the DKIM, SPF and DMARC records match what the admin panel shows and that the PTR record resolves to your mail hostname. A new sending IP also needs time to build a reputation.
Yes. Mailcow does not limit domains or mailboxes; each domain has its own DKIM key and quotas. The practical limit is your machine type and disk size.
Yes. SOGo webmail is reachable at the same hostname once SSL has issued. Sign in with any mailbox you create.
SSH into the server and run sudo docker ps -a. The postfix, dovecot, sogo, rspamd, clamd and other Mailcow containers should all show Up.
Not yet. The Meetrix Mailcow image is only on Google Cloud Marketplace today, and there is no AWS listing. If you need a mail server on AWS, contact us and we can talk through a setup.
Running your own mail server, without the 2am surprises.
Static IP, DNS, DKIM, domains, mailboxes and webmail, step by step.
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