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Mail Server

Getting Started with the Mail Server

Access and administer the DramWell Stalwart mail server — create domains, provision mailboxes, configure DNS, and manage distribution lists.

Getting Started with the Mail Server

The DramWell mail server runs Stalwart Mail Server on a self-hosted VPS behind nginx with automatic TLS via ACME. It powers all transactional and operational email for every DramWell vertical — from booking confirmations to invoice delivery to internal staff communication. This guide is for DramWell infrastructure staff who need to administer domains, mailboxes, and distribution lists.

End users with a @dramwell.ai mailbox can access their email at mail.dramwell.ai using any IMAP client or the built-in webmail interface.

Prerequisites

  • Infrastructure team membership with admin credentials for the mail server
  • SSH access to the VPS (see the hosting reference for connection details)
  • Basic familiarity with DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
  • Stalwart admin password from the team password manager

What You Can Do

  • JMAP, SMTP, and IMAP — full standards-compliant mail server supporting modern clients and legacy protocols
  • Admin panel — web-based management for domains, accounts, and policies at mail.dramwell.ai/admin
  • Domain management — add hosted domains with automated DKIM key generation
  • Mailbox provisioning — create individual mailboxes with quota controls and alias support
  • Distribution lists — manage mailing lists and group addresses for teams and verticals
  • Spam protection — per-domain spam filtering, blocklist management, and quarantine review
  • TLS and ACME — automatic certificate renewal via Let's Encrypt; no manual cert management required

Infrastructure Overview

Layer Detail
Mail server Stalwart v0.15
Container Docker, managed via Compose
Reverse proxy nginx with ACME TLS termination
Persistence Mounted volume at /opt/stalwart
Protocols JMAP (8080), SMTP (25/587/465), IMAP (143/993)
Admin API REST at /api/principal — Basic auth

First Steps

1. Access the Admin Panel

Navigate to mail.dramwell.ai/admin and log in with your Stalwart admin credentials. The admin panel gives you a GUI for most common tasks. For bulk operations or automation, use the Stalwart REST API directly (see below).

2. Verify Server Health

On the admin panel home, confirm:

  • All services (SMTP, IMAP, JMAP) show green status
  • TLS certificates are valid and not within 14 days of expiry
  • The message queue length is near zero (a growing queue indicates a delivery issue)

If you need to check the underlying container, SSH into the VPS and run:

docker compose -f /opt/dramwell/docker-compose.yml ps
docker compose -f /opt/dramwell/docker-compose.yml logs stalwart --tail=50

3. Add a New Domain

Go to Domains > Add Domain in the admin panel and enter the domain name (e.g., yourdomain.dramwell.ai). Stalwart will:

  • Generate a DKIM keypair automatically
  • Display the DNS records you need to add (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

Add those records at your DNS provider before proceeding. Use Domains > Verify DNS to confirm propagation. Do not create mailboxes until DNS is verified — delivery will fail.

Alternatively, via the REST API:

curl -X POST https://mail.dramwell.ai/api/principal \
  -H "Authorization: Basic <base64-admin-creds>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type":"domain","name":"yourdomain.example.com"}'

4. Create a Mailbox

Go to Accounts > New Account and fill in:

  • Username (the local part, e.g., firstname.lastname)
  • Domain (select from your verified domains)
  • Display name
  • Initial password (user can change on first login)
  • Quota in MB (0 for unlimited)

To create via the API:

curl -X POST https://mail.dramwell.ai/api/principal \
  -H "Authorization: Basic <base64-admin-creds>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type":"individual","name":"firstname.lastname@yourdomain.example.com","secrets":["initialpassword"],"quota":5120}'

5. Create a Distribution List

Go to Lists > New List and enter:

  • List address (e.g., team@dramwell.ai)
  • Member addresses (individual mailboxes or external addresses)
  • Posting permissions (anyone, members only, or admin only)

Distribution lists use the same /api/principal endpoint with "type":"list". To add or remove members after creation, use a PATCH request with the array format:

curl -X PATCH https://mail.dramwell.ai/api/principal/team@dramwell.ai \
  -H "Authorization: Basic <base64-admin-creds>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '[{"action":"addItem","field":"members","value":"newperson@dramwell.ai"}]'

6. Configure DNS for a New Domain

For each new domain, add these DNS records at your registrar or Cloudflare:

Type Name Value
MX @ mail.dramwell.ai (priority 10)
TXT @ v=spf1 mx ~all
TXT dkim._domainkey DKIM public key from Stalwart
TXT _dmarc v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@dramwell.ai

After adding records, return to Domains > Verify DNS to confirm all checks pass.

7. Test Mail Flow

Send a test message from the new mailbox to an external address (e.g., a Gmail account) and reply back. Confirm:

  • Outbound delivery succeeds (check the message queue — it should clear within seconds)
  • DKIM signature is valid (Gmail shows a green lock)
  • SPF passes (visible in the email headers)
  • Inbound delivery arrives in the correct mailbox

Use mail-tester.com to get a full deliverability score for the domain.

Next Steps

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