SETUP-MTA(8)

📦 version 3.22.0, in alpine 3.24

💌 setup-mta(8) — the outgoing mail glow-up 💌

okay so bestie, this is a page from the System Manager's Manual (yes, section 8, the sysadmin one), and it's literally all about getting your box to send mail out into the world. let's go 💅

✨ NAME ✨

setup-mta — configure your outgoing SMTP mail server, i.e. the vibe check for where your emails actually leave from 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

setup-mta [-h] [SMTPSERVER]

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

okay so setup-mta installs ssmtp and sets up outgoing email through an SMTP server. that's the whole main character energy of this script 🫶

if you don't pass SMTPSERVER, the script just prompts you interactively, like a little conversation. no stress, it'll walk you through it.

now here's the smart bit 👑 — if there's already an /etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf hanging around, the current mailhub value gets used as the default. and if there isn't one? then the hostname's domain gets used to suggest smtp.DOMAIN. cute, right?

the script can also optionally test the connection to the SMTP server by connecting to port 25. slay, a little connectivity check never hurt anybody ✨

also: the FromLineOverride option gets enabled in the configuration. periodt.

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • -h — display usage information and exit. that's it, that's the whole flag list, she's simple and she knows it 💖

🦋 FILES 🦋

  • /etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf — the ssmtp configuration file. this is THE file, the icon, the moment 🌈

🔥 EXIT STATUS 🔥

  • 0 — success. we ate and left no crumbs ✨
  • non-zero — an error occurred 😭 something went sideways, go check the vibes

🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

go read those if you're obsessed and want more, iykyk 💜

👑 AUTHORS 👑

Natanael Copa <ncopa@alpinelinux.org> and others — legends, honestly 🫶

ngl bestie, if your mail isn't going out, this script is the first place to look. no cap 💀

kisses and good luck, this one's running on Alpine Linux, dated 2026-06-09 🍓🧚‍♀️ bye bestie! 💖

📦 where this page comes from