Panelica includes a full email hosting stack: Postfix (SMTP), Dovecot (IMAP/POP3), Roundcube (webmail), OpenDKIM (email signing), SpamAssassin (spam filtering), and ClamAV (virus scanning). This guide covers every feature of the Email module.
Go to Email in the main navigation. The module has these sub-pages:
- Email Accounts — Create and manage mailboxes
- Email Forwarders — Set up email forwarding rules
- Autoresponders — Configure automatic replies (vacation, out-of-office)
- Settings — Mail delivery, spam protection, webmail, SSL
- Authentication — DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records
- Spam Filters — Per-account spam configuration and blacklist/whitelist
- Mail Queue — Monitor and manage the outgoing mail queue
- Mailing Lists — Create and manage mailing lists
- Webmail — Access Roundcube webmail
Important: Mail services (Postfix, Dovecot) are disabled by default to keep the server lightweight. Enable them from the Services page before using email features.
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Creating an Account:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Yes | Select from your available domains |
| Username | Yes | Local part (e.g., "info" for [email protected]) |
| Password | Yes | Secure password for the mailbox |
| Quota | No | Mailbox size limit in GB (default: 1 GB, configurable 1-100 GB) |
Protocol Toggles:
- IMAP — Enable/disable IMAP protocol (default: enabled)
- POP3 — Enable/disable POP3 protocol (default: enabled)
- SMTP — Enable/disable SMTP submission (default: enabled)
Security Options:
- Spam Filter — SpamAssassin filtering (default: enabled)
- Virus Check — ClamAV scanning (default: enabled)
List View Features:
- Quota usage progress bar (green < 70%, yellow 70-90%, red > 90%)
- Last login timestamp
- Status badges: Active, Suspended, Disabled
- Search by email address
Per-Account Actions:
- Edit — Change quota, protocols, security settings
- Open Webmail — Launch Roundcube for this account
- Configuration — View IMAP/POP3/SMTP server settings for email clients
- Change Password — Reset account password
- Delete — Permanently remove account and all emails
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When you create an email account, use these settings in your email client:
Incoming Mail (IMAP — Recommended):
- Server:
mail.yourdomain.com - Port:
993 - Encryption: SSL/TLS
- Username: Full email address (e.g.,
[email protected])
Incoming Mail (POP3):
- Server:
mail.yourdomain.com - Port:
995 - Encryption: SSL/TLS
Outgoing Mail (SMTP):
- Server:
mail.yourdomain.com - Port:
465(SSL/TLS) or587(STARTTLS) - Encryption: SSL/TLS
- Authentication: Required (same credentials)
Tip: Use IMAP instead of POP3 — IMAP keeps emails on the server and syncs across all your devices.
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Forwarders automatically send a copy of incoming emails to another address.
Creating a Forwarder:
- Enter the source email (username + domain)
- Add one or more destination email addresses
- Choose forwarding mode:
- Keep Copy (Recommended) — Email stays in the original inbox AND forwards
- Forward Only — Email is only forwarded, not stored locally
Management:
- Toggle forwarders on/off without deleting
- Edit destinations anytime
- Type badge shows: Keep Copy (green) or Forward Only (yellow)
Warning: Avoid creating forwarding loops (A → B → A). The system warns about this.
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Set up automatic replies for vacation notices, confirmations, or out-of-office messages.
Creating an Autoresponder:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Email Account | Select the account to auto-respond from |
| Subject | Subject line of the auto-reply |
| Message | Reply body (Plain Text or HTML) |
| Start Date | Optional — activate from a specific date |
| End Date | Optional — deactivate after a specific date |
Advanced Options:
- Respond Once Per Sender (default: enabled) — Only one reply per unique sender
- Respond to Spam (default: disabled) — Don't reply to spam emails
- Respond to Mailing Lists (default: disabled) — Don't reply to list messages (prevents loops)
- Frequency Hours — If "Once Per Sender" is off, set interval between responses
Stats: Shows Total, Active, Scheduled, and Inactive autoresponders.
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Go to Email > Settings. Four configuration tabs:
Tab 1 — Mail Delivery:
Choose how outgoing email is sent:
- SMTP Relay (Recommended) — Send through an external service for better deliverability
- Local Postfix — Send directly from your server (requires SPF/DKIM/PTR setup)
Pre-configured SMTP relay providers:
- Gmail
- SendGrid
- Mailgun
- Amazon SES
- Brevo
- Mailjet
- Elastic Email
- Custom SMTP
Each provider card auto-fills the host, port, and encryption. Just enter your credentials and click "Test Connection".
Tab 2 — Protection:
- Anti-Spam (SpamAssassin) — Enable/disable, set threshold (1-10), action on spam (Tag/Reject/Discard)
- Anti-Virus (ClamAV) — Enable/disable, action on virus (Reject/Discard/Quarantine)
- Greylisting — Enable/disable (delays first-time senders to reduce spam)
Tab 3 — Webmail:
- Enable/disable Roundcube webmail
- URL path (default:
/webmail) - Session timeout in minutes (default: 10)
- Max attachment size in MB (default: 50)
- Default mailbox quota (default: 1024 MB)
- Default domain quota (default: 10240 MB)
- Quota warning threshold (default: 90%)
Tab 4 — SSL Certificate:
Manage the mail server's SSL certificate (used for IMAP/SMTP encryption):
- View current certificate details: hostname, issuer, validity, days remaining
- Issue Let's Encrypt — Enter your mail hostname (e.g.,
mail.yourdomain.com) and get a free trusted certificate - Upload Custom — Paste PEM certificate and private key
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Go to Email > Authentication. These DNS records prove your emails are legitimate and prevent them from going to spam.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail):
- Cryptographic signature added to every outgoing email
- Auto-generated when you create a domain with email
- Record format:
default._domainkey.yourdomain.com - Uses 2048-bit RSA key with SHA-256 hash
SPF (Sender Policy Framework):
- Tells receiving servers which IPs are authorized to send email for your domain
- Auto-generated:
v=spf1 ip4:YOUR_SERVER_IP -all - Uses hard fail (
-all) as recommended by Gmail and other providers
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication):
- Tells receiving servers what to do when DKIM/SPF checks fail
- Auto-generated:
v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:[email protected]; ruf=mailto:[email protected]; fo=1 - Quarantine policy sends failed messages to spam (recommended starting point)
All three records are automatically created when you set up email for a domain. The Authentication page shows the current status and record content for each domain.
Best Practices:
- All three (DKIM + SPF + DMARC) are required for reliable inbox delivery
- Also set up a PTR (reverse DNS) record with your hosting provider — must match your mail hostname
- Test your email authentication at mail-tester.com
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Go to Email > Spam Filters. Three tabs:
Account Settings:
- Per-account spam filter status (enabled/disabled)
- Spam score threshold with color coding:
- 1-3: Aggressive (may catch legitimate mail)
- 4-5: Balanced (recommended)
- 6-8: Lenient (may miss some spam)
- 9+: Very lenient
- Quick toggle and configuration buttons per account
Blacklist:
Block specific senders or domains:
- Email — Block a specific address (e.g.,
[email protected]) - Domain — Block an entire domain (e.g.,
@spam.ru) - Wildcard — Pattern matching (e.g.,
*@*.ru)
Whitelist:
Trust specific senders to bypass spam filters. Same entry types as blacklist.
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Go to Email > Mail Queue. Monitor outgoing emails in the Postfix queue.
Stats Cards:
- Total Messages (count + total size)
- Active (currently sending)
- Deferred (waiting for retry)
- On Hold (manually paused)
Queue Table: Shows Queue ID, Sender, Recipients, Size, Arrival Time, Status, and Error Reason.
Actions per message:
- Hold — Pause delivery
- Release — Resume a held message
- Requeue — Retry delivery immediately
- Delete — Remove from queue permanently
Bulk Actions:
- Flush Queue — Attempt to deliver all queued messages now
- Delete Deferred — Remove all messages waiting for retry
Auto-refresh available (30-second interval).
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Go to Email > Mailing Lists. Create and manage newsletter-style mailing lists.
Creating a List:
- List Name — Human-readable name
- Domain — Domain for the list address (e.g., [email protected])
- Description — Optional notes
List Settings:
- Allow Public Subscribe — Users can subscribe via web form
- Require Confirmation — Double-opt-in verification email
- Moderated — Posts require moderator approval before sending
- Enable Archive — Messages stored in searchable archive
Managing Members:
Click "View Members" on any list to see subscribers. Add members manually with email and name. Status options: Subscribed, Unsubscribed, Bounced.
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Go to Email > Webmail. Roundcube is a full-featured web-based email client.
Features:
- Send and receive emails with attachments
- Folder management (Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Spam, Trash)
- Address book with contact groups and vCard import/export
- Multiple themes including dark mode
- Mobile-responsive interface
- SSL/TLS encrypted connections
Click "Open Webmail" to launch Roundcube in a new tab. Log in with your full email address and password.
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To make sure your emails reach Gmail, Outlook, and other major providers, you need all of these:
| Requirement | What It Does | How to Set Up |
|---|---|---|
| SPF Record | Authorizes your server to send mail | Auto-created by Panelica |
| DKIM Signing | Cryptographically signs outgoing mail | Auto-created by Panelica |
| DMARC Record | Tells receivers how to handle failures | Auto-created by Panelica |
| PTR Record | Reverse DNS — IP maps back to mail hostname | Set up with your hosting provider |
| Clean IP | Server IP not on any blacklists | Check at mxtoolbox.com/blacklists |
Panelica automatically configures SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. The only thing you need to do manually is set up the PTR record with your hosting provider (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, etc.).
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Problem: Cannot send emails
- Verify Postfix is running:
pn-service status postfix - Check if port 25 is blocked by your cloud provider (common with AWS, GCP, Azure)
- Check mail log:
/opt/panelica/var/logs/mail/mail.log - Consider using SMTP Relay (Gmail, SendGrid, etc.) if port 25 is blocked
Problem: Emails going to spam
- Verify all authentication records: Email > Authentication page
- Set up PTR record with your hosting provider
- Test at mail-tester.com — aim for a score of 10/10
- Ensure SPF uses
-all(hard fail)
Problem: Cannot receive emails
- Verify Dovecot is running:
pn-service status dovecot - Check MX record:
dig +short MX yourdomain.com - Port 25 must be open inbound
Problem: Webmail not loading
- Check Apache:
pn-service status apache - Check Nginx:
pn-service status nginx-customer - Restart Apache:
pn-service restart apache
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- First Steps After Setup — Initial email configuration
- Troubleshooting — Email issue resolution
- FAQ — Common email questions
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Questions? Ask in General Discussion.
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