Generate a release-matched Mailu Compose deployment

Mailu’s documentation is versioned; the master branch is not the stable release guide. The official site currently points stable readers to 2024.06. Confirm the appropriate release at installation time rather than combining a new image with an old environment file.

For the alternatives to a Compose bundle, see Mailu in our Linux mail-server comparison.

Generate the deployment pair

1. Follow the stable Compose setup and its requirements.
2. Generate docker-compose.yml and mailu.env together using the matching setup utility.
3. Review domain/hostnames, public bind addresses, persistent root path, and required services/ports.
4. Select the supported TLS_FLAVOR and configure certificate issuance or the specified certificate/key files.

For automatic certificates, every advertised hostname’s A/AAAA records must match reachable host addresses. Do not switch to disabled TLS as a production workaround. NAT/bind behavior has documented constraints that should be understood before deployment.

Validate before MX cutover

Start the reviewed Compose project, check service health/logs, and provision an administrator securely using the release’s documented method. Do not copy an example password into a live deployment or expose it in command history.

Verify the required postmaster mailbox/alias and one controlled user’s receipt/client path. Persist all selected volumes outside disposable containers and keep the generated configuration in a protected recovery set before migrating production mail.