Cloning Gmail's Architecture on DevLogs

Part 3.3: Connecting Thunderbird to your Mail Server

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 09:36:46 +0530

Note

This walkthrough is part of the Cloning Gmail’s Architecture series. For better context, I suggest you to start from Part 1

In this tutorial, we will look how to install and configure a mail client (Thunderbird) on your local machine with your personal mail server, by setting up IMAP and SMTP connections.

About Thunderbird Link to heading

Mozilla Thunderbird (yep, the same organization owning Firefox) is a free, open-source desktop email client that lets users send, receive, and manage email from multiple accounts in one place. In this guide, it serves as the client used to connect to the self-hosted mail server configured earlier in the series. It is available to download for linux, macos, windows and android. They have also added an iOS version to their future roadmap and is currently in beta.

Part 3.2: Setup iRedMail Server on Linux in less than 20 minutes

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 14:24:59 +0530

Note

This walkthrough is part of the Cloning Gmail’s Architecture series. For better context, I suggest you to start from Part 1

In this tutorial, we will look how to configure a mail server (iRedMail) on the EC2, assign an Elastic IP (static public IP), enable port access for SMTP / IMAP communications and more, to replicate an actual email flow from server to server.

Pre-Requisites Link to heading

You have access to a linux environment where you want to configure iRedMail.
Network connection on that linux environment.
Privileges to run the commands as a super user.
A TLD domain to setup mail server’s hostname and configure settings.

Info

Make sure to replace example.com with the domain that you have registered with your DNS provider. Use of example.com is for merely demo purposes to showcase how DNS mapping is working.

Prepare the Linux Instance Link to heading

Part 3.1: Setting up AWS infra for hosting a mail server

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 03:55:13 +0530

Note

This walkthrough is part of the Cloning Gmail’s Architecture series. For better context, I suggest you to start from Part 1

In this tutorial, we will look how we can deploy an EC2 instance, assign an Elastic IP (static public IP), enable port access for SMTP / IMAP communications and more, to configure the infrastructure for self-hosting a private email server.

Pre-Requisites Link to heading

Have an AWS Account and basic knowledge on how to setup an EC2 instance in AWS.
Know about mail protocols and how mail communication works.

If you have any other cloud provider as your preference feel free to jump to the Setting up the Mail Server

Part 2: What do you need to self-host an email server?

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 22:21:21 +0530

Selecting the Stack Link to heading

This series begins with replacing Gmail using a fully self-hosted mail system on AWS. The goal is not just email independence — it is learning real infrastructure, security, and operational ownership.

This post explains the selected stack, what alternatives were considered, and why these choices were made.

TL;DR - Final Stack Overview Link to heading

Hosting: Amazon EC2 (1-year Reserved Instance)
Mail Server: iRedMail
Mail Client: Mozilla Thunderbird
Domain Registrar: Namecheap
DNS Provider: Namecheap DNS

Keep reading if you want to know about the comparisons made in order to reach to these final verdicts.

Part 1: Mail Server Communications 101

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 23:21:21 +0530

This guide explains the core building blocks required to send and receive email via the internet. It focuses on a understanding how the email is sent across the real world and what protocols are used within this communication.

The Components of a Mail Communication Link to heading

DNS Server: Routes trusted servers, handles MX / SPF / DKIM records for mail delivery and authority verification.
Mail Servers: Receives outbound emails from clients and moves messages across each other using SMTP.
Mail Client: Applications used by people to send / receive emails (eg. Outlook, Thunderbird).

Mail Server Communication Model

Mail flow Link to heading

You write an email on thunderbird and press Send.
Your mail client submits it to your mail server using SMTP (port 587).
Your mail server checks the recipient’s domain.
It queries DNS to find the domain’s MX record.
DNS tells your server which mail server handles that domain.
Your server connects to the recipient’s server using SMTP (port 25).
The recipient server verifies security (SPF/DKIM/TLS).
If valid, it accepts and stores the email.
The recipient’s mail client connects via IMAP (993) or POP3 (995).
The email appears in their inbox.

1. DNS Server Link to heading

Before email works, the internet must know which server handles mail for a particular domain, where that server is located and whether that server is trusted. This is handled through DNS (Domain Name System).