DOVECOT(1) Dovecot DOVECOT(1)
NAME
dovecot - A secure and highly configurable IMAP and POP3 server
SYNOPSIS
dovecot [-Fp] [-c config-file]
dovecot -a [-c config-file]
dovecot -n [-c config-file]
dovecot --build-options
dovecot --help
dovecot --hostdomain
dovecot --version
dovecot reload
dovecot stop
DESCRIPTION
Dovecot is an open source IMAP and POP3 server for Linux/UNIX-like sys-
tems, written with security primarily in mind. Dovecot is an excellent
choice for both small and large installations. It's fast, simple to set
up, requires no special administration and it uses very little memory.
OPTIONS
-a
Dump all configuration settings to stdout and exit successfully. The
same as doveconf -a.
-c config-file
Start dovecot with an alternative configuration.
-F
Run dovecot in foreground, do not daemonize.
-n
Dump non-default settings to stdout and exit successfully. The same
as doveconf -n.
-p
Prompt for the ssl key password for the configured ssl_server_key on
startup.
--build-options
Show Dovecot's build options and exit successfully.
--help
Print a usage message to stdout and exit successfully.
--hostdomain
Shows the current host.domain name of the system. If the domain
lookup should fail for some reason, only the hostname will be shown.
--version
Show Dovecot's version and exit successfully.
COMMANDS
reload
Force dovecot to reload its configuration.
stop
Shutdown dovecot and all its child processes.
When shutdown_clients is set to no, existing sessions will continue to
use the old settings, after a dovecot reload. Also all sessions will
keep alive after a dovecot stop.
By default all active sessions will be shut down.
SIGNALS
Dovecot handles the following signals as described:
HUP
Force dovecot to reload its configuration.
INT
Shutdown dovecot and all its child processes.
TERM
Shutdown dovecot and all its child processes.
USR1
Force dovecot to reopen all configured log files (log_path,
info_log_path and debug_log_path).
The signals ALARM and PIPE are ignored.
FILES
/etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
Dovecot's main configuration file.
/etc/dovecot/conf.d/.conf*
Configuration files of different services and settings.
REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs, including doveconf -n output, to the Dovecot Mailing List
⟨dovecot@dovecot.org⟩. Information about reporting bugs is available at:
https://dovecot.org/bugreport.html
SEE ALSO
doveadm(1)
78ffb79 March 2025 DOVECOT(1)
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