Re: Most relevant documents for 2.4.x config file syntax

On Sun, Feb 15, 2026 at 7:29 PM Steve Litt via dovecot <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Washington Odhiambo via dovecot said on Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:06:18 +0300
>
> >On Sat, Feb 14, 2026 at 5:46 PM Steve Litt via dovecot
> ><[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi all,
> >>
> >> Some time has gone by, so I'm hoping there's some good documentation
> >> for somebody needing syntax help on building a 2.4.x Dovecot.
> >>
> >> I've seen
> >> https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.0/installation/upgrade/2.3-to-2.4.html ,
> >> but it's not useful to me because I don't know *where* all those
> >> various pieces go. Which things go in what curly braces? It doesn't
> >> say.
> >>
> >> https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/config/quick.html looks like an
> >> excellent starting place. Do you agree?
> >>
> >> What other *simple* documentation do you recommend? Because I am not
> >> and never was a Dovecot expert, I'll need something that does a
> >> considerable amount of teaching: A sort of Dovecot 4.2 For Dummies
> >> type thing.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >>
> >> SteveT
> >>
> >> Steve Litt
> >
> >
> >If you've never run Dovecot before,
>
> I've run Dovecot since 2013. However, I'm not an Dovecot expert because
> up until the 2.4.x change, it just always worked. I set it up in 2013
> and hardly ever touched it after that.
>
> I've never used a different IMAP server on my computer.
>
> > then you perhaps have run other
> >POP3/IMAP4 servers, no?
>
>
> >And all you need to do is:
> >1. Decide how you store the emails - Maildir or mbox. Tell Dovecot that
> >using the relevant config params
>
> I must continue to use Maildir because that's what Procmail can write
> to. Also I wouldn't use mbox because there are too many varieties of
> mbox, and also, because Maildir has been working perfectly for me since
> 2013.
>
> >2. You want to run IMAP4/ POP3 daemons - tell dovecot to start the
> >ones you want via the relevant config params
>
> I want to run IMAP only.
>
> >3. User database - is it a flat file, PAM, or RDBM?  - tell Dovecot
> >that via userdb and passdb directives.
>
> I use PAM because it's all I know, and it's good enough for my
> purposes. The entire reason I use of a local IMAP server is to store my
> emails in an email-client agnostic way. My use case isn't at all
> challenging.
>
> >
> >Since https://doc.dovecot.org/2.4.2/core/config/quick.html has already
> >told you that, go ahead and use it.
>
> That document isn't useful to me because it tells what things are and
> their possible values, but not the syntax. That document is like a book
> on C that tells you all the keywords but doesn't cover where to put
> braces, semicolons, doesn't discuss stuff like binding order, and
> myfunction() && printf("It worked.\n"). Wonderful reference for the guy
> who knows C, useless for the guy who knows no C.
>
> >If you get stuck, look at the log
> >files
>
> Thanks for that reminder Washington. I forget to look at the logs way
> too often. I'll do that. Is there any special Dovecot log file, or just
> the general one (/var/log/messages --- I don't use systemd)?
>
> >and ask questions here.
>
> Definitely! This is where I learned of the quick start and the
> converter, which are the two best tools I have so far. I'd be dead meat
> without this list.
>
> >Alternatively, many people have written HOWTOs for Dovecot 2.4 that
> >you can read and implement.
>
> Yes! Those HOWTOs are what I haven't been able to find, or at least the
> good ones. If anybody knows of any good, accurate HOWTOs for Dovecot
> 2.4.x, please let me know their URLs.
>
> >Last but not least, you can get someone to set up Dovecot for you.
>
> Thanks! That's actually not a bad idea, but I'm going to try very hard
> to do it myself. I always fix my own bicycle (I don't have a car), I
> usually fix my own hardware and software problems, and I fix my own
> electronics. That's just how I usually operate. But if I can't, yeah,
> I'll pay somebody to do it.
>
> Let me tell you what I've done so far. Last night I made a Void Linux
> Qemu VM with Claws-Mail and Dovecot. Using the 2.4.2 Quick Start
> doveconf.conf, dovecot -F ran if I commented out the
> ssl_server_cert_file and ssl_server_key_file lines, which makes perfect
> sense because I haven't yet created the .pem files on VM.
>
> When I have time in the next couple days I'll
>
> * Copy my Daily Driver Desktop (DDD) Maildir to the VM
>
> * Make sure I can access, move and delete messages from Claws-Mail
>
> * Create my .pem files
>
> * Uncomment the .pem files
>
> * Make sure it still works
>
> * Do what's required to make sure it *only* works with SSL, never plain
>   text.
>
> * Enable fetchmail and procmail to insert messages from a test email
>   account, and send messages to that account.
>
> * Modify the VM setup so it's exactly like my DDD setup
>
> * Back up my DDD paying particular attention to all things Dovecot
>
> * Re-create the VM's setup on my DDD
>
> * Test and troubleshoot
>
> * Back up the new setup
>
> * Write docs on my exact procedures so that anybody else with my use
>   case and lack of knowledge can easily follow in my footsteps.
>
> Thanks Washington!
>
> SteveT
>
> Steve Litt



Your dovecot.conf, in its simplest form should contain the below:
<CUT>
dovecot_config_version = 2.4.2
dovecot_storage_version = 2.4.2

mail_driver = maildir
mail_path = ~/Maildir
mailbox_list_layout = fs
protocols = imap
listen = 127.0.0.1
auth_allow_cleartext = yes
auth_mechanisms = plain login
userdb passwd {
   driver = passwd
}
passdb pam {
    driver = pam
}
</CUT>

The test can easily just be the defaults shipped with Dovecot.

I also hope that you've heard about https://dovecot.org/upgrader/. It
probably suffices for your server as your configuration/use case doesn't
seem complex.

-- 
Best regards,
Odhiambo WASHINGTON,
Nairobi,KE
+254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223
 In an Internet failure case, the #1 suspect is a constant: DNS.
"Oh, the cruft.", egrep -v '^$|^.*#' ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :-)
[How to ask smart questions:
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html]

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