commit 12959e27db949294adfb89a5ad634ffe1a1c1db6
parent 3ec52919eaaa108499c250046c51bd680513efe9
Author: Jake Bauer <jbauer@paritybit.ca>
Date: Fri, 15 May 2020 15:39:19 -0400
Publish new blog post
Diffstat:
5 files changed, 184 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/pages/blog.md b/pages/blog.md
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ href="https://social.paritybit.ca/@jbauer">Mastodon</a>.
### 2020
<ul>
+ <li>2020-05-15 <a href="blog/preparing-to-self-host-email">Preparing to Self-Host Email</a></li>
<li>2020-05-13 <a href="blog/diving-deeper-into-the-small-internet">Diving Deeper Into the Small Internet</a></li>
<li>2020-05-12 <a href="blog/setting-up-a-gopher-site">Setting Up A Gopher Site</a></li>
<li>2020-05-11 <a href="blog/a-brief-review-of-fedora-32">A Brief Review of Fedora 32</a></li>
diff --git a/pages/blog/preparing-to-self-host-email.md b/pages/blog/preparing-to-self-host-email.md
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+## Preparing to Self-Host Email
+
+[//]: # "META_TEXT"
+
+[//]: # "main.min.css"
+
+[//]: #
+
+<div class="byline">
+<b>Written By:</b> Jake Bauer |
+ <b>Posted:</b> 2020-05-15 |
+ <b>Last Updated:</b> 2020-05-15
+</div>
+
+Email is one of the oldest and most fundamental underpinnings of the Inernet as
+a whole. Unfortunately, it has a reputation of being very difficult to
+self-host, let alone self-host correctly. I've seen many online talk about the
+issues they've run into getting their mail past the spam filters of the Big Mail
+Corps or keeping their servers safe against the onslaught of crackers trying to
+gain access which eventually leads them to give up on self-hosting email and
+return to using Big Mail Corps.
+
+Despite all this, I think that self-hosting email is one of the best ways to
+take control of your data and be digitally independent. Regardless of which
+email provider you choose, there is always the posibility that they could shut
+down, intercept and analyze your emails and sell that data to advertisers, or to
+block you from using their service. If you're dependent on email (which I'm sure
+many of us are to a certain extent), this can be a serious problem.
+
+I am currently with ProtonMail. My only complaint, now that they've open-sourced
+all of their client applications, is that I have to use the ProtonMail Bridge,
+and therefore be a paying user, in order to be able to interact with my email
+using open protocols like IMAP and SMTP. It's also somewhat annoying that I have
+to have a separate (electron-based) application running any time I wanted to
+send or receive email. I understand why they do it, but it's still something I
+wish I didn't have to deal with. Besides, I'm also coming to terms with the fact
+that email is almost a completely public form of communication; the only way
+that I can be sure that my communications are secure is by using PGP-based
+encryption with my emails, or a separate secure messaging system like Matrix. I
+wish this wasn't the case, but with nearly every email passing through Big Mail
+Corp's servers and being stored unencrypted in most others' mailboxes, it seems
+an unavoidable truth.
+
+This is the first time I'll attempt to properly self-host email. I've previously
+set up mail communication inside my LAN and I have experience with SPF, DKIM,
+and DMARC, but I've never set up proper mail from scratch. I plan to run
+OpenBSD, OpenSMTPD, Dovecot, and Rspamd; OpenBSD because of its reputation for
+taking security *very* seriously and because I want to become more familiar with
+the BSD ecosystem, OpenSMTPD because it seems very easy to configure when
+compared with Postfix or Sendmail (though I know Postfix isn't that hard from
+experience), Dovecot because right now it seems to be the best software
+available for doing what it does, and Rspamd because it's what seems to be
+recommended the most alongside the other options I've listed.
+
+I plan to run my mailserver using a hosted VPS because I don't have a static IP
+at my house and I need more reliable infrastructure for a service as critical as
+email. Although this somewhat lessens my digital independence, since the VPS
+provider could theoretically shut down or ban me, I think it's the best solution
+given my circumstances right now. Right now, I'm going with Vultr because
+they've been highly recommended to me, they have good hosting rates, and they
+offer deployment of OpenBSD VPSes. Here is a [referral
+link](https://www.vultr.com/?ref=8575855-6G) if you'd like to give them a try
+while supporting me. It will give you a $100 credit which is a good amount to
+try the service without commitment. If, for whatever reason, the link above
+doesn't work, here is an [alternative referral
+link](https://www.vultr.com/?ref=8575845) which won't give you a credit but does
+still reward me.
+
+As the final component, I plan to first trial a setup using a spare domain which
+I own: `jbauer.ca`, just in case things don't work out well. I wouldn't want to
+lose access to my current email by messing up my first time self-hosting. I am
+also considering using that domain permanently for personal mail if things work
+out since it's slightly easier than spelling out `paritybit.ca` for people, but
+we'll see.
+
+Also, here are some of the resources I've been reading to prepare for self-hosting
+email, in case you also want to give it a go:
+
+* [Yarmo's Blog - Selfhost email](https://yarmo.eu/blog/selfhost-email)
+* [Setting up a mail server with OpenSMTPD, Dovecot and Rspamd](https://poolp.org/posts/2019-09-14/setting-up-a-mail-server-with-opensmtpd-dovecot-and-rspamd/)
+* [You should not run your mail server because mail is hard](https://poolp.org/posts/2019-08-30/you-should-not-run-your-mail-server-because-mail-is-hard/)
+* [Decentralised SMTP is for the greater good](https://poolp.org/posts/2019-12-15/decentralised-smtp-is-for-the-greater-good/)
+* [Vultr - OpenBSD mail server with OpenSMTPD, Dovecot, Rspamd, and Rainloop](https://www.vultr.com/docs/an-openbsd-e-mail-server-using-opensmtpd-dovecot-rspamd-and-rainloop)
+* [Setting Up Your Own Email Server With OpenBSD](https://codedharma.com/posts/openbsd_email_1/)
+
+_This is my twentieth post for the
+[#100DaysToOffload](https://social.paritybit.ca/tags/100DaysToOffload)
+challenge. You can learn more about this challenge over at
+[https://100daystooffload.com](https://100daystooffload.com)._
diff --git a/pages/home.md b/pages/home.md
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ extent)! Access through `gopher://paritybit.ca` or `gemini://paritybit.ca`.
src="/img/feed-icon.png" width="15" height="15" alt="Click for RSS Feed"/>
</a>
</div>
+2020-05-15 <a class="feed-item" href="blog/preparing-to-self-host-email">Preparing to Self-Host Email</a>
+
2020-05-13 <a class="feed-item" href="blog/diving-deeper-into-the-small-internet">Diving Deeper Into the Small Internet</a>
2020-05-12 <a class="feed-item" href="blog/setting-up-a-gopher-site">Setting Up a Gopher Site</a>
@@ -38,8 +40,6 @@ extent)! Access through `gopher://paritybit.ca` or `gemini://paritybit.ca`.
2020-05-05 <a class="feed-item" href="blog/refining-my-neomutt-config">Refining My NeoMutt Configuration</a>
-2020-05-04 <a class="feed-item" href="blog/clone-wars-finale">Star Wars: The Clone Wars Finale</a>
-
### What is a Parity Bit?
It is a bit (in the 1's and 0's sense) used in checking for errors in digital
diff --git a/public/feeds/sitewide-feed.xml b/public/feeds/sitewide-feed.xml
@@ -7,6 +7,97 @@
<description>The feed that covers all notable additions, updates, announcements,
and other changes for the entire paritybit.ca website.</description>
<item>
+ <title>Preparing to Self-Host Email</title>
+ <link>https://www.paritybit.ca/blog/preparing-to-self-host-email</link>
+ <guid>https://www.paritybit.ca/blog/preparing-to-self-host-email</guid>
+ <pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2020 00:44:15 -0400</pubDate>
+<description><![CDATA[<h2>Preparing to Self-Host Email</h2>
+
+<div class="byline">
+<b>Written By:</b> Jake Bauer |
+ <b>Posted:</b> 2020-05-15 |
+ <b>Last Updated:</b> 2020-05-15
+</div>
+
+<p>Email is one of the oldest and most fundamental underpinnings of the Inernet as
+a whole. Unfortunately, it has a reputation of being very difficult to
+self-host, let alone self-host correctly. I've seen many online talk about the
+issues they've run into getting their mail past the spam filters of the Big Mail
+Corps or keeping their servers safe against the onslaught of crackers trying to
+gain access which eventually leads them to give up on self-hosting email and
+return to using Big Mail Corps.</p>
+
+<p>Despite all this, I think that self-hosting email is one of the best ways to
+take control of your data and be digitally independent. Regardless of which
+email provider you choose, there is always the posibility that they could shut
+down, intercept and analyze your emails and sell that data to advertisers, or to
+block you from using their service. If you're dependent on email (which I'm sure
+many of us are to a certain extent), this can be a serious problem.</p>
+
+<p>I am currently with ProtonMail. My only complaint, now that they've open-sourced
+all of their client applications, is that I have to use the ProtonMail Bridge,
+and therefore be a paying user, in order to be able to interact with my email
+using open protocols like IMAP and SMTP. It's also somewhat annoying that I have
+to have a separate (electron-based) application running any time I wanted to
+send or receive email. I understand why they do it, but it's still something I
+wish I didn't have to deal with. Besides, I'm also coming to terms with the fact
+that email is almost a completely public form of communication; the only way
+that I can be sure that my communications are secure is by using PGP-based
+encryption with my emails, or a separate secure messaging system like Matrix. I
+wish this wasn't the case, but with nearly every email passing through Big Mail
+Corp's servers and being stored unencrypted in most others' mailboxes, it seems
+an unavoidable truth.</p>
+
+<p>This is the first time I'll attempt to properly self-host email. I've previously
+set up mail communication inside my LAN and I have experience with SPF, DKIM,
+and DMARC, but I've never set up proper mail from scratch. I plan to run
+OpenBSD, OpenSMTPD, Dovecot, and Rspamd; OpenBSD because of its reputation for
+taking security <em>very</em> seriously and because I want to become more familiar with
+the BSD ecosystem, OpenSMTPD because it seems very easy to configure when
+compared with Postfix or Sendmail (though I know Postfix isn't that hard from
+experience), Dovecot because right now it seems to be the best software
+available for doing what it does, and Rspamd because it's what seems to be
+recommended the most alongside the other options I've listed.</p>
+
+<p>I plan to run my mailserver using a hosted VPS because I don't have a static IP
+at my house and I need more reliable infrastructure for a service as critical as
+email. Although this somewhat lessens my digital independence, since the VPS
+provider could theoretically shut down or ban me, I think it's the best solution
+given my circumstances right now. Right now, I'm going with Vultr because
+they've been highly recommended to me, they have good hosting rates, and they
+offer deployment of OpenBSD VPSes. Here is a <a href="https://www.vultr.com/?ref=8575855-6G">referral
+link</a> if you'd like to give them a try
+while supporting me. It will give you a $100 credit which is a good amount to
+try the service without commitment. If, for whatever reason, the link above
+doesn't work, here is an <a href="https://www.vultr.com/?ref=8575845">alternative referral
+link</a> which won't give you a credit but does
+still reward me.</p>
+
+<p>As the final component, I plan to first trial a setup using a spare domain which
+I own: <code>jbauer.ca</code>, just in case things don't work out well. I wouldn't want to
+lose access to my current email by messing up my first time self-hosting. I am
+also considering using that domain permanently for personal mail if things work
+out since it's slightly easier than spelling out <code>paritybit.ca</code> for people, but
+we'll see.</p>
+
+<p>Also, here are some of the resources I've been reading to prepare for self-hosting
+email, in case you also want to give it a go:</p>
+
+<ul>
+<li><a href="https://yarmo.eu/blog/selfhost-email">Yarmo's Blog - Selfhost email</a></li>
+<li><a href="https://poolp.org/posts/2019-09-14/setting-up-a-mail-server-with-opensmtpd-dovecot-and-rspamd/">Setting up a mail server with OpenSMTPD, Dovecot and Rspamd</a></li>
+<li><a href="https://poolp.org/posts/2019-08-30/you-should-not-run-your-mail-server-because-mail-is-hard/">You should not run your mail server because mail is hard</a></li>
+<li><a href="https://poolp.org/posts/2019-12-15/decentralised-smtp-is-for-the-greater-good/">Decentralised SMTP is for the greater good</a></li>
+<li><a href="https://www.vultr.com/docs/an-openbsd-e-mail-server-using-opensmtpd-dovecot-rspamd-and-rainloop">Vultr - OpenBSD mail server with OpenSMTPD, Dovecot, Rspamd, and Rainloop</a></li>
+<li><a href="https://codedharma.com/posts/openbsd_email_1/">Setting Up Your Own Email Server With OpenBSD</a></li>
+</ul>
+
+<p><em>This is my twentieth post for the
+<a href="https://social.paritybit.ca/tags/100DaysToOffload">#100DaysToOffload</a>
+challenge. You can learn more about this challenge over at
+<a href="https://100daystooffload.com">https://100daystooffload.com</a>.</em></p>]]></description>
+</item>
+<item>
<title>Diving Deeper Into the Small Internet</title>
<link>https://www.paritybit.ca/blog/diving-deeper-into-the-small-internet</link>
<guid>https://www.paritybit.ca/blog/diving-deeper-into-the-small-internet</guid>
diff --git a/public/sitemap.xml b/public/sitemap.xml
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
<url><loc>https://www.paritybit.ca</loc></url>
<url><loc>https://www.paritybit.ca/home</loc></url>
<url><loc>https://www.paritybit.ca/blog</loc></url>
+ <url><loc>https://www.paritybit.ca/blog/preparing-to-self-host-email</loc></url>
<url><loc>https://www.paritybit.ca/blog/diving-deeper-into-the-small-internet</loc></url>
<url><loc>https://www.paritybit.ca/blog/setting-up-a-gopher-site</loc></url>
<url><loc>https://www.paritybit.ca/blog/a-brief-review-of-fedora-32</loc></url>
