SMTP(8) System Manager's Manual SMTP(8)
NAME
smtp, lmtp - Postfix SMTP+LMTP client
SYNOPSIS
smtp [generic Postfix daemon options] [flags=DORX]
lmtp [generic Postfix daemon options] [flags=DORX]
DESCRIPTION
The Postfix SMTP+LMTP client implements the SMTP and LMTP mail delivery
protocols. It processes message delivery requests from the queue man-
ager. Each request specifies a queue file, a sender address, a domain or
host to deliver to, and recipient information. This program expects to
be run from the master(8) process manager. The process name, smtp or
lmtp, controls the protocol, and the names of the configuration parame-
ters that will be used.
The SMTP+LMTP client updates the queue file and marks recipients as fin-
ished, or it informs the queue manager that delivery should be tried
again at a later time. Delivery status reports are sent to the
bounce(8), defer(8) or trace(8) daemon as appropriate.
The server lookup strategy is different for SMTP and LMTP, as described
in the sections "SMTP SERVER LOOKUP" and "LMTP SERVER LOOKUP".
After a successful mail transaction, a connection may be saved to the
scache(8) connection cache server, so that it may be used by any
SMTP+LMTP client for a subsequent transaction.
By default, connection caching is enabled temporarily for destinations
that have a high volume of mail in the active queue. Connection caching
can be enabled permanently for specific destinations.
SMTP SERVER LOOKUP
The Postfix SMTP client supports multiple destinations separated by
comma or whitespace (Postfix 3.5 and later). Each destination is tried
in the specified order.
SMTP destinations have the following form:
domainname
domainname:service
Look up the mail exchangers for the specified domain, and connect
to the specified service (default: smtp). Optionally, mail ex-
changers may be looked up with SRV queries instead of MX; this
requires that service is given in symbolic form.
[hostname]
[hostname]:service
Look up the address(es) for the specified host, and connect to
the specified service (default: smtp).
[address]
[address]:service
Connect to the host at the specified address, and connect to the
specified service (default: smtp). An IPv6 address must be for-
matted as [ipv6:address].
LMTP SERVER LOOKUP
The Postfix LMTP client supports multiple destinations separated by
comma or whitespace (Postfix 3.5 and later). Each destination is tried
in the specified order.
LMTP destinations have the following form:
unix:pathname
Connect to the local UNIX-domain server that is bound to the
specified pathname. If the process runs chrooted, an absolute
pathname is interpreted relative to the Postfix queue directory.
inet:domainname
inet:domainname:service
Look up the LMTP servers for the specified domain and service
(default: lmtp). This form is supported when SRV lookups are en-
abled, and requires that service is in symbolic form.
inet:hostname
inet:hostname:service
Look up the address(es) for the specified host, and connect to
the specified service (default: lmtp). When SRV lookups are en-
abled, use the form [hostname] to force address lookups.
inet:[address]
inet:[address]:service
Connect to the specified local or remote host and service (de-
fault: lmtp). An IPv6 address must be formatted as [ipv6:ad-
dress].
SINGLE-RECIPIENT DELIVERY
By default, the Postfix SMTP+LMTP client delivers mail to multiple re-
cipients per delivery request. This is undesirable when prepending a De-
livered-to: or X-Original-To: message header. To prevent Postfix from
sending multiple recipients per delivery request, specify
transport_destination_recipient_limit = 1
in the Postfix main.cf file, where transport is the name in the first
column of the Postfix master.cf entry for this mail delivery service.
COMMAND ATTRIBUTE SYNTAX
flags=DORX (optional)
Optional message processing flags.
D Prepend a "Delivered-To: recipient" message header with
the envelope recipient address. Note: for this to work,
the transport_destination_recipient_limit must be 1 (see
SINGLE-RECIPIENT DELIVERY above for details).
The D flag also enforces loop detection: if a message al-
ready contains a Delivered-To: header with the same recip-
ient address, then the message is returned as undeliver-
able. The address comparison is case insensitive.
This feature is available as of Postfix 3.5.
O Prepend an "X-Original-To: recipient" message header with
the recipient address as given to Postfix. Note: for this
to work, the transport_destination_recipient_limit must be
1 (see SINGLE-RECIPIENT DELIVERY above for details).
This feature is available as of Postfix 3.5.
R Prepend a "Return-Path: <sender>" message header with the
envelope sender address.
This feature is available as of Postfix 3.5.
X Indicates that the delivery is final. This flag affects
the status reported in "success" DSN (delivery status no-
tification) messages, and changes it from "relayed" into
"delivered".
This feature is available as of Postfix 3.5.
SECURITY
The SMTP+LMTP client is moderately security-sensitive. It talks to SMTP
or LMTP servers and to DNS servers on the network. The SMTP+LMTP client
can be run chrooted at fixed low privilege.
STANDARDS
RFC 821 (SMTP protocol)
RFC 822 (ARPA Internet Text Messages)
RFC 1651 (SMTP service extensions)
RFC 1652 (8bit-MIME transport)
RFC 1870 (Message Size Declaration)
RFC 2033 (LMTP protocol)
RFC 2034 (SMTP Enhanced Error Codes)
RFC 2045 (MIME: Format of Internet Message Bodies)
RFC 2046 (MIME: Media Types)
RFC 2554 (AUTH command)
RFC 2821 (SMTP protocol)
RFC 2782 (SRV resource records)
RFC 2920 (SMTP Pipelining)
RFC 3207 (STARTTLS command)
RFC 3461 (SMTP DSN Extension)
RFC 3463 (Enhanced Status Codes)
RFC 4954 (AUTH command)
RFC 5321 (SMTP protocol)
RFC 6531 (Internationalized SMTP)
RFC 6533 (Internationalized Delivery Status Notifications)
RFC 7672 (SMTP security via opportunistic DANE TLS)
RFC 8689 (TLS-Required message header)
DIAGNOSTICS
Problems and transactions are logged to syslogd(8) or postlogd(8). Cor-
rupted message files are marked so that the queue manager can move them
to the corrupt queue for further inspection.
Depending on the setting of the notify_classes parameter, the postmaster
is notified of bounces, protocol problems, and of other trouble.
BUGS
SMTP and LMTP connection reuse for TLS (without closing the SMTP or LMTP
connection) is not supported before Postfix 3.4.
SMTP and LMTP connection reuse assumes that SASL credentials are valid
for all destinations that map onto the same IP address and TCP port.
CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS
Postfix versions 2.3 and later implement the SMTP and LMTP client with
the same program, and choose the protocol and configuration parameters
based on the process name, smtp or lmtp.
Most smtp_xxx configuration parameters have an lmtp_xxx "mirror" parame-
ter for the equivalent LMTP feature. This document describes only those
LMTP-related parameters that aren't simply "mirror" parameters.
Changes to main.cf are picked up automatically, as smtp(8) processes run
for only a limited amount of time. Use the command "postfix reload" to
speed up a change.
The text below provides only a parameter summary. See postconf(5) for
more details including examples.
COMPATIBILITY CONTROLS
ignore_mx_lookup_error (no)
Ignore DNS MX lookups that produce no response.
smtp_always_send_ehlo (yes)
Always send EHLO at the start of an SMTP session.
smtp_never_send_ehlo (no)
Never send EHLO at the start of an SMTP session.
smtp_defer_if_no_mx_address_found (no)
Defer mail delivery when no MX record resolves to an IP address.
smtp_line_length_limit (998)
The maximal length of message header and body lines that Postfix
will send via SMTP.
smtp_pix_workaround_delay_time (10s)
How long the Postfix SMTP client pauses before sending
".<CR><LF>" in order to work around the PIX firewall
"<CR><LF>.<CR><LF>" bug.
smtp_pix_workaround_threshold_time (500s)
How long a message must be queued before the Postfix SMTP client
turns on the PIX firewall "<CR><LF>.<CR><LF>" bug workaround for
delivery through firewalls with "smtp fixup" mode turned on.
smtp_pix_workarounds (disable_esmtp, delay_dotcrlf)
A list that specifies zero or more workarounds for CISCO PIX
firewall bugs.
smtp_pix_workaround_maps (empty)
Lookup tables, indexed by the remote SMTP server address, with
per-destination workarounds for CISCO PIX firewall bugs.
smtp_quote_rfc821_envelope (yes)
Quote addresses in Postfix SMTP client MAIL FROM and RCPT TO com-
mands as required by RFC 5321.
smtp_reply_filter (empty)
A mechanism to transform replies from remote SMTP servers one
line at a time.
smtp_skip_5xx_greeting (yes)
Skip remote SMTP servers that greet with a 5XX status code.
smtp_skip_quit_response (yes)
Do not wait for the response to the SMTP QUIT command.
Available in Postfix version 2.0 and earlier:
smtp_skip_4xx_greeting (yes)
Skip SMTP servers that greet with a 4XX status code (go away, try
again later).
Available in Postfix version 2.2 and later:
smtp_discard_ehlo_keyword_address_maps (empty)
Lookup tables, indexed by the remote SMTP server address, with
case insensitive lists of EHLO keywords (pipelining, starttls,
auth, etc.) that the Postfix SMTP client will ignore in the EHLO
response from a remote SMTP server.
smtp_discard_ehlo_keywords (empty)
A case insensitive list of EHLO keywords (pipelining, starttls,
auth, etc.) that the Postfix SMTP client will ignore in the EHLO
response from a remote SMTP server.
smtp_generic_maps (empty)
Optional lookup tables that perform address rewriting in the
Postfix SMTP client, typically to transform a locally valid ad-
dress into a globally valid address when sending mail across the
Internet.
Available in Postfix version 2.2.9 and later:
smtp_cname_overrides_servername (version dependent)
When the remote SMTP servername is a DNS CNAME, replace the
servername with the result from CNAME expansion for the purpose
of logging, SASL password lookup, TLS policy decisions, or TLS
certificate verification.
Available in Postfix version 2.3 and later:
lmtp_discard_lhlo_keyword_address_maps (empty)
Lookup tables, indexed by the remote LMTP server address, with
case insensitive lists of LHLO keywords (pipelining, starttls,
auth, etc.) that the Postfix LMTP client will ignore in the LHLO
response from a remote LMTP server.
lmtp_discard_lhlo_keywords (empty)
A case insensitive list of LHLO keywords (pipelining, starttls,
auth, etc.) that the Postfix LMTP client will ignore in the LHLO
response from a remote LMTP server.
Available in Postfix version 2.4.4 and later:
send_cyrus_sasl_authzid (no)
When authenticating to a remote SMTP or LMTP server with the de-
fault setting "no", send no SASL authoriZation ID (authzid); send
only the SASL authentiCation ID (authcid) plus the authcid's
password.
Available in Postfix version 2.5 and later:
smtp_header_checks (empty)
Restricted header_checks(5) tables for the Postfix SMTP client.
smtp_mime_header_checks (empty)
Restricted mime_header_checks(5) tables for the Postfix SMTP
client.
smtp_nested_header_checks (empty)
Restricted nested_header_checks(5) tables for the Postfix SMTP
client.
smtp_body_checks (empty)
Restricted body_checks(5) tables for the Postfix SMTP client.
Available in Postfix version 2.6 and later:
tcp_windowsize (0)
An optional workaround for routers that break TCP window scaling.
Available in Postfix version 2.8 and later:
smtp_dns_resolver_options (empty)
DNS Resolver options for the Postfix SMTP client.
Available in Postfix version 2.9 - 3.6:
smtp_per_record_deadline (no)
Change the behavior of the smtp_*_timeout time limits, from a
time limit per read or write system call, to a time limit to send
or receive a complete record (an SMTP command line, SMTP response
line, SMTP message content line, or TLS protocol message).
Available in Postfix version 2.9 and later:
smtp_send_dummy_mail_auth (no)
Whether or not to append the "AUTH=<>" option to the MAIL FROM
command in SASL-authenticated SMTP sessions.
Available in Postfix version 2.11 and later:
smtp_dns_support_level (empty)
Level of DNS support in the Postfix SMTP client.
Available in Postfix version 3.0 and later:
smtp_delivery_status_filter ($default_delivery_status_filter)
Optional filter for the smtp(8) delivery agent to change the de-
livery status code or explanatory text of successful or unsuc-
cessful deliveries.
smtp_dns_reply_filter (empty)
Optional filter for Postfix SMTP client DNS lookup results.
Available in Postfix version 3.3 and later:
smtp_balance_inet_protocols (yes)
When a remote destination resolves to a combination of IPv4 and
IPv6 addresses, ensure that the Postfix SMTP client can try both
address types before it runs into the smtp_mx_address_limit.
Available in Postfix 3.5 and later:
info_log_address_format (external)
The email address form that will be used in non-debug logging
(info, warning, etc.).
Available in Postfix 3.6 and later:
dnssec_probe (ns:.)
The DNS query type (default: "ns") and DNS query name (default:
".") that Postfix may use to determine whether DNSSEC validation
is available.
known_tcp_ports (lmtp=24, smtp=25, smtps=submissions=465, submis-
sion=587)
Optional setting that avoids lookups in the services(5) database.
Available in Postfix version 3.7 and later:
smtp_per_request_deadline (no)
Change the behavior of the smtp_*_timeout time limits, from a
time limit per plaintext or TLS read or write call, to a combined
time limit for sending a complete SMTP request and for receiving
a complete SMTP response.
smtp_min_data_rate (500)
The minimum plaintext data transfer rate in bytes/second for DATA
requests, when deadlines are enabled with smtp_per_request_dead-
line.
header_from_format (standard)
The format of the Postfix-generated From: header.
Available in Postfix version 3.8 and later:
use_srv_lookup (empty)
Enables discovery for the specified service(s) using DNS SRV
records.
ignore_srv_lookup_error (no)
When SRV record lookup fails, fall back to MX or IP address
lookup as if SRV record lookup was not enabled.
allow_srv_lookup_fallback (no)
When SRV record lookup fails or no SRV record exists, fall back
to MX or IP address lookup as if SRV record lookup was not en-
abled.
MIME PROCESSING CONTROLS
Available in Postfix version 2.0 and later:
disable_mime_output_conversion (no)
Disable the conversion of 8BITMIME format to 7BIT format.
mime_boundary_length_limit (2048)
The maximal length of MIME multipart boundary strings.
mime_nesting_limit (100)
The maximal recursion level that the MIME processor will handle.
EXTERNAL CONTENT INSPECTION CONTROLS
Available in Postfix version 2.1 and later:
smtp_send_xforward_command (no)
Send the non-standard XFORWARD command when the Postfix SMTP
server EHLO response announces XFORWARD support.
SASL AUTHENTICATION CONTROLS
smtp_sasl_auth_enable (no)
Enable SASL authentication in the Postfix SMTP client.
smtp_sasl_password_maps (empty)
Optional Postfix SMTP client lookup tables with one user-
name:password entry per sender, remote hostname or next-hop do-
main.
smtp_sasl_security_options (noplaintext, noanonymous)
Postfix SMTP client SASL security options; as of Postfix 2.3 the
list of available features depends on the SASL client implementa-
tion that is selected with smtp_sasl_type.
Available in Postfix version 2.2 and later:
smtp_sasl_mechanism_filter (empty)
If non-empty, a Postfix SMTP client filter for the remote SMTP
server's list of offered SASL mechanisms.
Available in Postfix version 2.3 and later:
smtp_sender_dependent_authentication (no)
Enable sender-dependent authentication in the Postfix SMTP
client; this is available only with SASL authentication, and dis-
ables SMTP connection caching to ensure that mail from different
senders will use the appropriate credentials.
smtp_sasl_path (empty)
Implementation-specific information that the Postfix SMTP client
passes through to the SASL plug-in implementation that is se-
lected with smtp_sasl_type.
smtp_sasl_type (cyrus)
The SASL plug-in type that the Postfix SMTP client should use for
authentication.
Available in Postfix version 2.5 and later:
smtp_sasl_auth_cache_name (empty)
An optional table to prevent repeated SASL authentication fail-
ures with the same remote SMTP server hostname, username and
password.
smtp_sasl_auth_cache_time (90d)
The maximal age of an smtp_sasl_auth_cache_name entry before it
is removed.
smtp_sasl_auth_soft_bounce (yes)
When a remote SMTP server rejects a SASL authentication request
with a 535 reply code, defer mail delivery instead of returning
mail as undeliverable.
Available in Postfix version 2.9 and later:
smtp_send_dummy_mail_auth (no)
Whether or not to append the "AUTH=<>" option to the MAIL FROM
command in SASL-authenticated SMTP sessions.
Available in Postfix version 3.9 and later:
smtp_sasl_password_result_delimiter (:)
The delimiter between username and password in sasl_passwd_maps
lookup results.
STARTTLS SUPPORT CONTROLS
Detailed information about STARTTLS configuration may be found in the
TLS_README document.
smtp_tls_security_level (empty)
The default SMTP TLS security level for the Postfix SMTP client.
smtp_sasl_tls_security_options ($smtp_sasl_security_options)
The SASL authentication security options that the Postfix SMTP
client uses for TLS encrypted SMTP sessions.
smtp_starttls_timeout (300s)
Time limit for Postfix SMTP client write and read operations dur-
ing TLS startup and shutdown handshake procedures.
smtp_tls_CAfile (empty)
A file containing CA certificates of root CAs trusted to sign ei-
ther remote SMTP server certificates or intermediate CA certifi-
cates.
smtp_tls_CApath (empty)
Directory with PEM format Certification Authority certificates
that the Postfix SMTP client uses to verify a remote SMTP server
certificate.
smtp_tls_cert_file (empty)
File with the Postfix SMTP client RSA certificate in PEM format.
smtp_tls_mandatory_ciphers (medium)
The minimum TLS cipher grade that the Postfix SMTP client will
use with mandatory TLS encryption.
smtp_tls_exclude_ciphers (empty)
List of ciphers or cipher types to exclude from the Postfix SMTP
client cipher list at all TLS security levels.
smtp_tls_mandatory_exclude_ciphers (empty)
Additional list of ciphers or cipher types to exclude from the
Postfix SMTP client cipher list at mandatory TLS security levels.
smtp_tls_dcert_file (empty)
File with the Postfix SMTP client DSA certificate in PEM format.
smtp_tls_dkey_file ($smtp_tls_dcert_file)
File with the Postfix SMTP client DSA private key in PEM format.
smtp_tls_key_file ($smtp_tls_cert_file)
File with the Postfix SMTP client RSA private key in PEM format.
smtp_tls_loglevel (0)
Enable additional Postfix SMTP client logging of TLS activity.
smtp_tls_note_starttls_offer (no)
Log the hostname of a remote SMTP server that offers STARTTLS,
when TLS is not already enabled for that server.
smtp_tls_policy_maps (empty)
Optional lookup tables with the Postfix SMTP client TLS security
policy by next-hop destination; when a non-empty value is speci-
fied, this overrides the obsolete smtp_tls_per_site parameter.
smtp_tls_mandatory_protocols (see 'postconf -d' output)
TLS protocols that the Postfix SMTP client will use with manda-
tory TLS encryption.
smtp_tls_scert_verifydepth (9)
The verification depth for remote SMTP server certificates.
smtp_tls_secure_cert_match (nexthop, dot-nexthop)
How the Postfix SMTP client verifies the server certificate peer-
name for the "secure" TLS security level.
smtp_tls_session_cache_database (empty)
Name of the file containing the optional Postfix SMTP client TLS
session cache.
smtp_tls_session_cache_timeout (3600s)
The expiration time of Postfix SMTP client TLS session cache in-
formation.
smtp_tls_verify_cert_match (hostname)
How the Postfix SMTP client verifies the server certificate peer-
name for the "verify" TLS security level.
tls_daemon_random_bytes (32)
The number of pseudo-random bytes that an smtp(8) or smtpd(8)
process requests from the tlsmgr(8) server in order to seed its
internal pseudo random number generator (PRNG).
tls_high_cipherlist (see 'postconf -d' output)
The OpenSSL cipherlist for "high" grade ciphers.
tls_medium_cipherlist (see 'postconf -d' output)
The OpenSSL cipherlist for "medium" or higher grade ciphers.
tls_null_cipherlist (eNULL:!aNULL)
The OpenSSL cipherlist for "NULL" grade ciphers that provide au-
thentication without encryption.
Available in in Postfix version 2.3..3.7:
tls_low_cipherlist (see 'postconf -d' output)
The OpenSSL cipherlist for "low" or higher grade ciphers.
tls_export_cipherlist (see 'postconf -d' output)
The OpenSSL cipherlist for "export" or higher grade ciphers.
Available in Postfix version 2.4 and later:
smtp_sasl_tls_verified_security_options ($smtp_sasl_tls_security_op-
tions)
The SASL authentication security options that the Postfix SMTP
client uses for TLS encrypted SMTP sessions with a verified
server certificate.
Available in Postfix version 2.5 and later:
smtp_tls_fingerprint_cert_match (empty)
List of acceptable remote SMTP server certificate fingerprints
for the "fingerprint" TLS security level (smtp_tls_security_level
= fingerprint).
smtp_tls_fingerprint_digest (see 'postconf -d' output)
The message digest algorithm used to construct remote SMTP server
certificate fingerprints.
Available in Postfix version 2.6 and later:
smtp_tls_protocols (see 'postconf -d' output)
TLS protocols that the Postfix SMTP client will use with oppor-
tunistic TLS encryption.
smtp_tls_ciphers (medium)
The minimum TLS cipher grade that the Postfix SMTP client will
use with opportunistic TLS encryption.
smtp_tls_eccert_file (empty)
File with the Postfix SMTP client ECDSA certificate in PEM for-
mat.
smtp_tls_eckey_file ($smtp_tls_eccert_file)
File with the Postfix SMTP client ECDSA private key in PEM for-
mat.
Available in Postfix version 2.7 and later:
smtp_tls_block_early_mail_reply (no)
Try to detect a mail hijacking attack based on a TLS protocol
vulnerability (CVE-2009-3555), where an attacker prepends mali-
cious HELO, MAIL, RCPT, DATA commands to a Postfix SMTP client
TLS session.
Available in Postfix version 2.8 and later:
tls_disable_workarounds (see 'postconf -d' output)
List or bit-mask of OpenSSL bug work-arounds to disable.
Available in Postfix version 2.11-3.1:
tls_dane_digest_agility (on)
Configure RFC7671 DANE TLSA digest algorithm agility.
tls_dane_trust_anchor_digest_enable (yes)
Enable support for RFC 6698 (DANE TLSA) DNS records that contain
digests of trust-anchors with certificate usage "2".
Available in Postfix version 2.11 and later:
smtp_tls_trust_anchor_file (empty)
Zero or more PEM-format files with trust-anchor certificates
and/or public keys.
smtp_tls_force_insecure_host_tlsa_lookup (no)
Lookup the associated DANE TLSA RRset even when a hostname is not
an alias and its address records lie in an unsigned zone.
tlsmgr_service_name (tlsmgr)
The name of the tlsmgr(8) service entry in master.cf.
Available in Postfix version 3.0 and later:
smtp_tls_wrappermode (no)
Request that the Postfix SMTP client connects using the SUBMIS-
SIONS (formerly called SMTPS) protocol instead of using the
STARTTLS command.
Available in Postfix version 3.1 and later:
smtp_tls_dane_insecure_mx_policy (dane)
The TLS policy for MX hosts with "secure" TLSA records when the
nexthop destination security level is dane, but the MX record was
found via an "insecure" MX lookup.
Available in Postfix version 3.2 and later:
tls_eecdh_auto_curves (see 'postconf -d' output)
The prioritized list of elliptic curves, that should be enabled
in the Postfix SMTP client and server.
Available in Postfix version 3.4 and later:
smtp_tls_connection_reuse (no)
Try to make multiple deliveries per TLS-encrypted connection.
smtp_tls_chain_files (empty)
List of one or more PEM files, each holding one or more private
keys directly followed by a corresponding certificate chain.
smtp_tls_servername (empty)
Optional name to send to the remote SMTP server in the TLS Server
Name Indication (SNI) extension.
Available in Postfix 3.5, 3.4.6, 3.3.5, 3.2.10, 3.1.13 and later:
tls_fast_shutdown_enable (yes)
A workaround for implementations that hang Postfix while shutting
down a TLS session, until Postfix times out.
Available in Postfix version 3.8 and later:
tls_ffdhe_auto_groups (see 'postconf -d' output)
The prioritized list of finite-field Diffie-Hellman ephemeral
(FFDHE) key exchange groups supported by the Postfix SMTP client
and server.
Available in Postfix 3.9, 3.8.1, 3.7.6, 3.6.10, 3.5.20 and later:
tls_config_file (default)
Optional configuration file with baseline OpenSSL settings.
tls_config_name (empty)
The application name passed by Postfix to OpenSSL library ini-
tialization functions.
Available in Postfix version 3.9 and later:
smtp_tls_enable_rpk (no)
Request that remote SMTP servers send an RFC7250 raw public key
instead of an X.509 certificate.
Available in Postfix version 3.10 and later:
smtp_tlsrpt_enable (no)
Enable support for RFC 8460 TLSRPT notifications.
smtp_tlsrpt_socket_name (empty)
The pathname of a UNIX-domain datagram socket that is managed by
a local TLSRPT reporting service.
smtp_tlsrpt_skip_reused_handshakes (yes)
Do not report the TLSRPT status for TLS protocol handshakes that
reuse a previously-negotiated TLS session (there is no new infor-
mation to report).
tls_required_enable (yes)
Enable support for the "TLS-Required: no" message header, defined
in RFC 8689.
Available in Postfix version 3.10.5 and later:
smtp_tls_enforce_sts_mx_patterns (yes)
Transform the TLS policy from an STS policy plugin: connect to an
MX host only if its name matches any STS policy MX host pattern,
and match the server certificate against the MX hostname.
OBSOLETE STARTTLS CONTROLS
The following configuration parameters exist for compatibility with
Postfix versions before 2.3. Support for these will be removed in a fu-
ture release.
smtp_use_tls (no)
Opportunistic mode: use TLS when a remote SMTP server announces
STARTTLS support, otherwise send the mail in the clear.
smtp_enforce_tls (no)
Enforcement mode: require that remote SMTP servers use TLS en-
cryption, and never send mail in the clear.
smtp_tls_enforce_peername (yes)
With mandatory TLS encryption, require that the remote SMTP
server hostname matches the information in the remote SMTP server
certificate.
smtp_tls_per_site (empty)
Optional lookup tables with the Postfix SMTP client TLS usage
policy by next-hop destination and by remote SMTP server host-
name.
smtp_tls_cipherlist (empty)
Obsolete Postfix < 2.3 control for the Postfix SMTP client TLS
cipher list.
RESOURCE AND RATE CONTROLS
smtp_connect_timeout (30s)
The Postfix SMTP client time limit for completing a TCP connec-
tion, or zero (use the operating system built-in time limit).
smtp_helo_timeout (300s)
The Postfix SMTP client time limit for sending the HELO or EHLO
command, and for receiving the initial remote SMTP server re-
sponse.
lmtp_lhlo_timeout (300s)
The Postfix LMTP client time limit for sending the LHLO command,
and for receiving the initial remote LMTP server response.
smtp_xforward_timeout (300s)
The Postfix SMTP client time limit for sending the XFORWARD com-
mand, and for receiving the remote SMTP server response.
smtp_mail_timeout (300s)
The Postfix SMTP client time limit for sending the MAIL FROM com-
mand, and for receiving the remote SMTP server response.
smtp_rcpt_timeout (300s)
The Postfix SMTP client time limit for sending the SMTP RCPT TO
command, and for receiving the remote SMTP server response.
smtp_data_init_timeout (120s)
The Postfix SMTP client time limit for sending the SMTP DATA com-
mand, and for receiving the remote SMTP server response.
smtp_data_xfer_timeout (180s)
The Postfix SMTP client time limit for sending the SMTP message
content.
smtp_data_done_timeout (600s)
The Postfix SMTP client time limit for sending the SMTP ".", and
for receiving the remote SMTP server response.
smtp_quit_timeout (300s)
The Postfix SMTP client time limit for sending the QUIT command,
and for receiving the remote SMTP server response.
Available in Postfix version 2.1 and later:
smtp_mx_address_limit (5)
The maximal number of MX (mail exchanger) IP addresses that can
result from Postfix SMTP client mail exchanger lookups, or zero
(no limit).
smtp_mx_session_limit (2)
The maximal number of SMTP sessions per delivery request before
the Postfix SMTP client gives up or delivers to a fall-back relay
host, or zero (no limit).
smtp_rset_timeout (20s)
The Postfix SMTP client time limit for sending the RSET command,
and for receiving the remote SMTP server response.
Available in Postfix version 2.2 and earlier:
lmtp_cache_connection (yes)
Keep Postfix LMTP client connections open for up to $max_idle
seconds.
Available in Postfix version 2.2 and later:
smtp_connection_cache_destinations (empty)
Permanently enable SMTP connection caching for the specified des-
tinations.
smtp_connection_cache_on_demand (yes)
Temporarily enable SMTP connection caching while a destination
has a high volume of mail in the active queue.
smtp_connection_reuse_time_limit (300s)
The amount of time during which Postfix will use an SMTP connec-
tion repeatedly.
smtp_connection_cache_time_limit (2s)
When SMTP connection caching is enabled, the amount of time that
an unused SMTP client socket is kept open before it is closed.
Available in Postfix version 2.3 and later:
connection_cache_protocol_timeout (5s)
Time limit for connection cache connect, send or receive opera-
tions.
Available in Postfix version 2.9 - 3.6:
smtp_per_record_deadline (no)
Change the behavior of the smtp_*_timeout time limits, from a
time limit per read or write system call, to a time limit to send
or receive a complete record (an SMTP command line, SMTP response
line, SMTP message content line, or TLS protocol message).
Available in Postfix version 2.11 and later:
smtp_connection_reuse_count_limit (0)
When SMTP connection caching is enabled, the number of times that
an SMTP session may be reused before it is closed, or zero (no
limit).
Available in Postfix version 3.4 and later:
smtp_tls_connection_reuse (no)
Try to make multiple deliveries per TLS-encrypted connection.
Available in Postfix version 3.7 and later:
smtp_per_request_deadline (no)
Change the behavior of the smtp_*_timeout time limits, from a
time limit per plaintext or TLS read or write call, to a combined
time limit for sending a complete SMTP request and for receiving
a complete SMTP response.
smtp_min_data_rate (500)
The minimum plaintext data transfer rate in bytes/second for DATA
requests, when deadlines are enabled with smtp_per_request_dead-
line.
Implemented in the qmgr(8) daemon:
transport_destination_concurrency_limit ($default_destination_concur-
rency_limit)
A transport-specific override for the default_destination_concur-
rency_limit parameter value, where transport is the master.cf
name of the message delivery transport.
transport_destination_recipient_limit ($default_destination_recipi-
ent_limit)
A transport-specific override for the default_destination_recipi-
ent_limit parameter value, where transport is the master.cf name
of the message delivery transport.
SMTPUTF8 CONTROLS
Preliminary SMTPUTF8 support is introduced with Postfix 3.0.
smtputf8_enable (yes)
Enable preliminary SMTPUTF8 support for the protocols described
in RFC 6531, RFC 6532, and RFC 6533.
smtputf8_autodetect_classes (sendmail, verify)
Detect that a message requires SMTPUTF8 support for the specified
mail origin classes.
Available in Postfix version 3.2 and later:
enable_idna2003_compatibility (no)
Enable 'transitional' compatibility between IDNA2003 and
IDNA2008, when converting UTF-8 domain names to/from the ASCII
form that is used for DNS lookups.
TROUBLE SHOOTING CONTROLS
debug_peer_level (2)
The increment in verbose logging level when a nexthop destina-
tion, remote client or server name or network address matches a
pattern given with the debug_peer_list parameter.
debug_peer_list (empty)
Optional list of nexthop destination, remote client or server
name or network address patterns that, if matched, cause the ver-
bose logging level to increase by the amount specified in $de-
bug_peer_level.
error_notice_recipient (postmaster)
The recipient of postmaster notifications about mail delivery
problems that are caused by policy, resource, software or proto-
col errors.
internal_mail_filter_classes (empty)
What categories of Postfix-generated mail are subject to be-
fore-queue content inspection by non_smtpd_milters, header_checks
and body_checks.
notify_classes (resource, software)
The list of error classes that are reported to the postmaster.
MISCELLANEOUS CONTROLS
best_mx_transport (empty)
Where the Postfix SMTP client should deliver mail when it detects
a "mail loops back to myself" error condition.
config_directory (see 'postconf -d' output)
The default location of the Postfix main.cf and master.cf config-
uration files.
daemon_timeout (18000s)
How much time a Postfix daemon process may take to handle a re-
quest before it is terminated by a built-in watchdog timer.
delay_logging_resolution_limit (2)
The maximal number of digits after the decimal point when logging
delay values.
disable_dns_lookups (no)
Disable DNS lookups in the Postfix SMTP and LMTP clients.
inet_interfaces (all)
The local network interface addresses that this mail system re-
ceives mail on.
inet_protocols (see 'postconf -d' output)
The Internet protocols Postfix will attempt to use when making or
accepting connections.
ipc_timeout (3600s)
The time limit for sending or receiving information over an in-
ternal communication channel.
lmtp_assume_final (no)
When a remote LMTP server announces no DSN support, assume that
the server performs final delivery, and send "delivered" delivery
status notifications instead of "relayed".
lmtp_tcp_port (24)
The default TCP port that the Postfix LMTP client connects to.
max_idle (100s)
The maximum amount of time that an idle Postfix daemon process
waits for an incoming connection before terminating voluntarily.
max_use (100)
The maximal number of incoming connections that a Postfix daemon
process will service before terminating voluntarily.
process_id (read-only)
The process ID of a Postfix command or daemon process.
process_name (read-only)
The process name of a Postfix command or daemon process.
proxy_interfaces (empty)
The remote network interface addresses that this mail system re-
ceives mail on by way of a proxy or network address translation
unit.
smtp_address_preference (any)
The address type ("ipv6", "ipv4" or "any") that the Postfix SMTP
client will try first, when a destination has IPv6 and IPv4 ad-
dresses with equal MX preference.
smtp_bind_address (empty)
An optional numerical network address that the Postfix SMTP
client should bind to when making an IPv4 connection.
smtp_bind_address6 (empty)
An optional numerical network address that the Postfix SMTP
client should bind to when making an IPv6 connection.
smtp_helo_name ($myhostname)
The hostname to send in the SMTP HELO or EHLO command.
lmtp_lhlo_name ($myhostname)
The hostname to send in the LMTP LHLO command.
smtp_host_lookup (dns)
What mechanisms the Postfix SMTP client uses to look up a host's
IP address.
smtp_randomize_addresses (yes)
Randomize the order of equal-preference MX host addresses.
syslog_facility (mail)
The syslog facility of Postfix logging.
syslog_name (see 'postconf -d' output)
A prefix that is prepended to the process name in syslog records,
so that, for example, "smtpd" becomes "prefix/smtpd".
Available with Postfix 2.2 and earlier:
fallback_relay (empty)
Optional list of relay hosts for SMTP destinations that can't be
found or that are unreachable.
Available with Postfix 2.3 and later:
smtp_fallback_relay ($fallback_relay)
Optional list of relay destinations that will be used when an
SMTP destination is not found, or when delivery fails due to a
non-permanent error.
Available with Postfix 3.0 and later:
smtp_address_verify_target (rcpt)
In the context of email address verification, the SMTP protocol
stage that determines whether an email address is deliverable.
Available with Postfix 3.1 and later:
lmtp_fallback_relay (empty)
Optional list of relay hosts for LMTP destinations that can't be
found or that are unreachable.
Available with Postfix 3.2 and later:
smtp_tcp_port (smtp)
The default TCP port that the Postfix SMTP client connects to.
Available in Postfix 3.3 and later:
service_name (read-only)
The master.cf service name of a Postfix daemon process.
Available in Postfix 3.7 and later:
smtp_bind_address_enforce (no)
Defer delivery when the Postfix SMTP client cannot apply the
smtp_bind_address or smtp_bind_address6 setting.
SEE ALSO
generic(5), output address rewriting
header_checks(5), message header content inspection
body_checks(5), body parts content inspection
qmgr(8), queue manager
bounce(8), delivery status reports
scache(8), connection cache server
postconf(5), configuration parameters
master(5), generic daemon options
master(8), process manager
tlsmgr(8), TLS session and PRNG management
postlogd(8), Postfix logging
syslogd(8), system logging
README FILES
Use "postconf readme_directory" or "postconf html_directory" to locate
this information.
SASL_README, Postfix SASL howto
TLS_README, Postfix STARTTLS howto
LICENSE
The Secure Mailer license must be distributed with this software.
AUTHOR(S)
Wietse Venema
IBM T.J. Watson Research
P.O. Box 704
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
Wietse Venema
Google, Inc.
111 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10011, USA
Command pipelining in cooperation with:
Jon Ribbens
Oaktree Internet Solutions Ltd.,
Internet House,
Canal Basin,
Coventry,
CV1 4LY, United Kingdom.
SASL support originally by:
Till Franke
SuSE Rhein/Main AG
65760 Eschborn, Germany
TLS support originally by:
Lutz Jaenicke
BTU Cottbus
Allgemeine Elektrotechnik
Universitaetsplatz 3-4
D-03044 Cottbus, Germany
Revised TLS and SMTP connection cache support by:
Victor Duchovni
Morgan Stanley
SMTP(8)
Generated by dwww version 1.16 on Tue Dec 16 04:30:39 CET 2025.