PROMETHEUS-POSTFIX-EXPORTER(1)

💖 prometheus-postfix-exporter 💖

okay bestie, welcome to section 1 of the manual — this is PROMETHEUS-POSTFIX-EXPORTER, the whole page, and it's literally all about getting your Postfix metrics out there in Prometheus format. sit down, grab a strawberry 🍓, we're doing this.

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✨ NAME ✨

prometheus-postfix-exporter — a Prometheus exporter for Postfix metrics. that's the whole vibe. one job, done gorgeously. 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

postfix_exporter [<flags>]

that's it. that's the whole thing. you run the binary, you hand it some flags, it goes to work. main character energy fr fr. 👑

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so like — it's a Prometheus metrics exporter for postfix. Postfix does its mail thing, this little icon translates all of that into metrics Prometheus can slurp up. no cap. ✨

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🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

every single flag, in order, nothing skipped, because we do not half-ass things around here:

• -h, --help — shows you the context-sensitive help. and if that's not enough for you (valid, honestly), there's also --help-long and --help-man. go off. 🫶
• --version — prints the application version. short, sweet, iconic.
• --watchdog — use the watchdog to keep an eye on your log sources. it's giving protective. 🐕
• --web.systemd-socket — use systemd socket activation listeners instead of port listeners. Linux only, so don't try this on your Mac, bestie, it will not slay.
• --web.listen-address=:9154 — the addresses where metrics and the web interface get exposed. it's repeatable if you want multiple addresses, so stack 'em. examples: :9100 or [::1]:9100 for http, and vsock://:9100 for vsock. yes ma'am. 🌈
• --web.config.file — path to a config file that can enable TLS or authentication. the details live at: https://github.com/prometheus/exporter-toolkit/blob/master/docs/web-configuration.md — go read it, it's giving required reading. 📚
• --web.telemetry-path — the path under which metrics are exposed. you pick it.
• --postfix.showq_path — the path where Postfix puts its showq socket. 📍
• --postfix.showq_port=10025 — the TCP port where Postfix's showq service is listening. noted. 💜
• --postfix.showq_network — the network type for Postfix's showq service.
• --log.unsupported — logs all the unsupported lines. every last one. it's thorough, we respect it. 🙈
• --log.level=info — only log messages at the given severity or above. one of: [debug, info, warn, error]. pick your fighter.
• --log.format=logfmt — the output format for log messages. one of: [logfmt, json].
• --postfix.cleanup_service_label=cleanup — user-defined service label for the cleanup service. 🧼
• --postfix.lmtp_service_label=lmtp — user-defined service label for the lmtp service.
• --postfix.pipe_service_label=pipe — user-defined service label for the pipe service.
• --postfix.qmgr_service_label=qmgr — user-defined service label for the qmgr service.
• --postfix.smtp_service_label=smtp — user-defined service label for the smtp service.
• --postfix.smtpd_service_label=smtpd — user-defined service label for the smtpd service.
• --postfix.bounce_service_label=bounce — user-defined service label for the bounce service. 🏀
• --postfix.virtual_service_label=virtual — user-defined service label for the virtual service.
• --docker.enable — read from Docker logs. you can set the environment variable DOCKER_HOST to change the address. more info at https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/docker/docker/client?tab=doc#NewEnvClient — yes, the whole URL, it's important, don't skip it. 🐳
• --docker.container.id — the ID or name of the Postfix Docker container. give it the name, it'll find it.
• --systemd.enable — read from the systemd journal instead of a log. journal girlies rise. 📓
• --systemd.unit — the name of the Postfix systemd unit.
• --systemd.slice — the name of the Postfix systemd slice. this overrides the systemd unit, so heads up.
• --systemd.journal_path — the path to the systemd journal.
• --postfix.logfile_path — the path where Postfix writes log entries. 📂
• --postfix.logfile_must_exist — fail if the log file doesn't exist. it is not playing around, bestie — no file, no mercy.
• --postfix.logfile_debug — enable debug logging for the log file. 🔍
• --postfix.logfile_poll — poll for file changes instead of using inotify. old school but it works. 💀

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okay so real talk: that --postfix.logfile_must_exist one? it will literally stop everything if the file's not there. just so you know. dramatic but honest. 😭

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and that's the page, bestie!! 🦋 this is prometheus-postfix-exporter 0..., and the lovely humans stamped it February 2026. go forth, scrape your metrics, be the icon you were born to be. periodt. 👑💖✨