Postfix Mail System Overview

Note: this web page is no longer maintained. It exists only to avoid breaking links in web pages that describe earlier versions of the Postfix mail system.

Table of contents

• Introduction. How the Postfix mail system came into being, and what it attempts to achieve.

• Goals and features. A summary of the specific problems that Postfix tries to solve.

• Global architecture. The global architecture of the Postfix mail system.

• Queue management. The Postfix queue organization, and the strategies that it uses for delivery.

• Security. Postfix was designed to just receive and deliver mail, without opening holes for intruders.