cloudflare_temp_email/vitepress-docs/docs/en/guide/feature/config-smtp-proxy.md

Setting Up SMTP IMAP Proxy Service

::: warning Notice If you are using resend, you can directly use resend's SMTP service without needing this service :::

Why Do You Need SMTP IMAP Proxy Service

SMTP and IMAP have a wider range of application scenarios

How to Set Up SMTP IMAP Proxy Service

Local Run

cd smtp_proxy_server/
# Copy configuration file and modify it
# Your worker address, proxy_url=https://temp-email-api.xxx.xxx
# Your SMTP service port, port=8025
cp .env.example .env
python3 -m venv venv
./venv/bin/python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
./venv/bin/python3 main.py

Docker Run

cd smtp_proxy_server/
docker-compose up -d

Modify the environment variables in docker-compose.yaml, note to choose the appropriate tag

proxy_url is the URL address of the worker

services:
  smtp_proxy_server:
    image: ghcr.io/dreamhunter2333/cloudflare_temp_email/smtp_proxy_server:latest
    # build:
    #   context: .
    #   dockerfile: dockerfile
    container_name: "smtp_proxy_server"
    ports:
      - "8025:8025"
      - "11143:11143"
    environment:
      - proxy_url=https://temp-email-api.xxx.xxx
      - port=8025
      - imap_port=11143

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
proxy_url	http://localhost:8787	Worker backend URL
port	8025	SMTP port
imap_port	11143	IMAP port
smtp_tls_cert	empty	SMTP TLS certificate file path (PEM), enables STARTTLS when configured
smtp_tls_key	empty	SMTP TLS private key file path (PEM)
imap_tls_cert	empty	IMAP TLS certificate file path (PEM), enables STARTTLS when configured
imap_tls_key	empty	IMAP TLS private key file path (PEM)
imap_cache_size	500	Max cached messages per mailbox
imap_http_timeout	30.0	Backend HTTP request timeout (seconds)
imap_flag_db_path	data/imap_flags.db	SQLite file storing IMAP flags (e.g. \Seen) so STORE (mark as read) survives client reconnects. Mount a volume over its parent directory so it persists across container restarts

Enabling STARTTLS

Configure the TLS certificate environment variables for SMTP and/or IMAP to enable STARTTLS support. SMTP and IMAP can share the same certificate.

# .env example
smtp_tls_cert=/path/to/cert.pem
smtp_tls_key=/path/to/key.pem
imap_tls_cert=/path/to/cert.pem
imap_tls_key=/path/to/key.pem

In Docker Compose:

environment:
  - smtp_tls_cert=/certs/cert.pem
  - smtp_tls_key=/certs/key.pem
  - imap_tls_cert=/certs/cert.pem
  - imap_tls_key=/certs/key.pem
volumes:
  - ./certs:/certs:ro

IMAP Login Methods

Two login methods are supported:

Method	Username	Password	Description
JWT Credential	Email address	JWT token	Address credential from frontend, direct authentication
Address+Password	Email address	Address password	Verified via backend /api/address_login

The system automatically detects the password format: a three-segment string starting with eyJ is treated as a JWT; otherwise it is treated as a password and verified via the backend.

Using Thunderbird to Login

Download Thunderbird

For password, enter the email address credential or email address password