How do I self-host Forward Email?

Forward Email can be deployed using Docker Compose. The AltStack provides a production-ready configuration that you can deploy on your own server. Simply copy the configuration and run it on any machine with Docker installed.

Is Forward Email free to self-host?

Yes, Forward Email is open source under the MIT and free to self-host. Your only costs are the server infrastructure. A basic cloud VPS starts at around $5-10/month.

What programming language is Forward Email built with?

Forward Email is built with JavaScript. It has 1,685 stars on GitHub, indicating strong community adoption and support.

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Deploy Forward Email

Privacy-focused encrypted email for everyone. All-in-one alternative to Gmail, Mailchimp, and Sendgrid with free inbound forwarding, full email hosting, built-in webmail, and IMAP/POP3/SMTP support.

Quick Start

Create a directory

mkdir forward-email-self-hosted && cd forward-email-self-hosted

Create config file

Copy the content from the Config tab below into a file named docker-compose.yml

Deploy

docker compose up -d

Fast Track

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Metadata

License

MIT

Language

JavaScript

Last Updated

10/13/2026

Configuration

yaml



# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
# 🚀 Created and distributed by The AltStack
# 🌍 https://thealtstack.com
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------

version: '3.8'

services:
  forward-email:
    image: forwardemail/forwardemail:latest
    container_name: forward-email
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "25:25"
      - "465:465"
      - "587:587"

Community Notes

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