Mailpit

Development128MB+ RAM

Email and SMTP testing tool with a web inbox for development and staging environments

Download Server Compass Install Mailpit to VPS

developmentdevtoolsmailpitopen-sourceself-hosteddocker

Deploy Mailpit in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Mailpit

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Step-by-step deployment guide

Deploy Mailpit on a VPS with Server Compass

Use the Mailpit template in Server Compass to deploy a self-hosted email and SMTP testing inbox on your VPS, then verify the web UI in a browser.

About 10 minutesBrowser verified

Step 1

Open the server Apps tab

Select the tutorial-vps VPS, open the Apps tab, and start a new app deployment. Keep sensitive server details hidden before capturing or sharing screenshots.

Server Compass Apps tab before creating a Mailpit app

Step 2

Choose an app template

Click New App and choose the template deployment path so Server Compass can load the built-in catalog.

Choosing to deploy an app from a Server Compass template

Step 3

Search for Mailpit

Use the template picker search to find Mailpit in the Server Compass template catalog.

Searching for Mailpit in the Server Compass template picker

Step 4

Select the Mailpit template

Choose the Mailpit template. Server Compass fills the Mailpit web service, SMTP listener port, message retention setting, and persistent data volume.

Mailpit template selected in Server Compass

Step 5

Review the Mailpit settings

Confirm the app name, web UI port, and SMTP listener port. In this run, the app was named mailpit-demo and used host web port 4012.

Reviewing Mailpit project settings and compose service

Step 6

Deploy Mailpit

Review the generated compose settings, confirm the Mailpit web port is available, and click Deploy.

Reviewing Mailpit web port before deployment

Step 7

Watch the deployment progress

Keep the deployment modal open while Server Compass uploads the compose file, pulls the Mailpit image, starts the container, and verifies the stack.

Server Compass deploying the Mailpit template on the VPS

Step 8

Confirm Mailpit is running

After deployment finishes, return to the Apps tab and confirm the Mailpit app is marked Running with its application URL available.

Mailpit template running in the Server Compass Apps tab

Step 9

Open Mailpit in the browser

Open the application URL in a browser. The Mailpit inbox confirms the web UI is reachable and ready for test messages.

The deployed Mailpit web UI loaded in a browser

After Mailpit Opens

Point development or staging apps at the Mailpit SMTP host and SMTP port.
Send a test message and confirm it appears in the Mailpit inbox.
Put the web UI behind authentication or a private network before exposing it publicly.
Avoid sending real secrets or customer email through an unauthenticated public Mailpit instance.
Tune the maximum message retention value for the size of your testing environment.

Verified Result

The Mailpit web interface loaded successfully from the deployed container.

Download Server Compass Docs

Mailpit deployment questions

What does the Mailpit template deploy?

It deploys Mailpit as a single-container SMTP capture service with a browser inbox and persistent message database.

Which port did the tutorial use?

The tutorial used host port 4012, which maps to the Mailpit web UI on container port 8025.

Does Mailpit need setup after deployment?

No account setup is required by default. Open the web UI, point a test app at the SMTP port, and send a message.

Should this become a blog post?

No. The deployment guide should live on the Mailpit template detail page and be linked from the reusable template deployment docs page.

After Deployment

After deploying Mailpit with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup

Open Mailpit at http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:{{PORT}}

Point a test app's SMTP host to YOUR_SERVER_IP and port {{SMTP_PORT}}

Send a test email and confirm it appears in the inbox

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Mailpit FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Mailpit

How do I deploy Mailpit with Server Compass?

Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Mailpit from the templates list. Fill in the required configuration and click Deploy. The entire process takes under 3 minutes.

What are the system requirements for Mailpit?

Mailpit requires a minimum of 128MB RAM. We recommend a VPS with at least 1024MB RAM for optimal performance. Any modern Linux server with Docker support will work.

Can I migrate my existing Mailpit data?

Yes! Server Compass provides volume mapping that allows you to import existing data. You can also use standard Mailpit backup and restore procedures.

How do I update Mailpit to the latest version?

Server Compass makes updates easy. Simply click the Update button in your deployment dashboard, and the latest Mailpit image will be pulled and deployed with zero downtime.

Is Mailpit free to self-host?

Mailpit is open-source software. You only pay for your VPS hosting (typically $5-20/month) and optionally Server Compass ($29 one-time). No subscription fees or per-seat pricing.

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Ready to Self-Host Mailpit?

Download Server Compass and deploy Mailpit to your VPS in under 3 minutes. No Docker expertise required.

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