Ubuntu Postfix Setup
Postfix is a popular mail transfer agent (MTA) that can be used to send email from a server, including from a WordPress site. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use postfix on a server to send email from WordPress:
Step 1: Install postfix If you haven’t already, install postfix on your server using the package manager for your operating system. On Ubuntu, you can install it using the following command:
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install postfix
Step 2: Configure postfix During the postfix installation process, you will be prompted to select the type of mail configuration you want to use. Choose “Internet Site” and enter the fully qualified domain name of your server when prompted.
After the installation is complete, you can modify the postfix configuration file (/etc/postfix/main.cf) to configure the outgoing mail settings. Here are some common settings that you may need to modify:
- myhostname: Set this to the fully qualified domain name of your server.
- mydestination: Set this to the domain names that your server is responsible for delivering mail to (e.g. localhost, example.com).
- relayhost: Set this to the SMTP server that you want to use to relay outgoing mail. If you don’t have an external SMTP server, you can use your ISP’s SMTP server or a service like Gmail or SendGrid.
Step 3: Configure WordPress to use postfix To configure WordPress to use postfix for outgoing mail, you need to install and activate a plugin that handles email settings. There are several plugins available that can do this, such as WP Mail SMTP and Easy WP SMTP.
After installing the plugin, go to its settings page and enter the outgoing mail settings. Here are the settings that you may need to enter:
- From Email: The email address that the outgoing mail should be sent from.
- From Name: The name that should be displayed as the sender of the outgoing mail.
- SMTP Host: The hostname or IP address of the postfix server (e.g. localhost).
- SMTP Port: The port number used by postfix for outgoing mail (usually 587 or 465).
- Encryption: The encryption method used by postfix (usually SSL/TLS).
- Authentication: The authentication method used by postfix (usually login).
- Username: The username used to authenticate with postfix.
- Password: The password used to authenticate with postfix.
Step 4: Test the email settings After configuring postfix and WordPress, you can test the email settings by sending a test email from within WordPress or using an external email client. If the settings are configured correctly, you should receive the test email in your inbox.
Congratulations! You have successfully configured postfix on your server to send email from WordPress. This allows you to send email from your WordPress site using your own email server, which can improve deliverability and reduce the risk of email being marked as spam.