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Optional Email With SMTP

SMTP is an advanced optional feature in My Own Suite.

You do not need it just to run the suite.

If you already understand what an SMTP server is and have access to one, you can configure one shared SMTP connection and let compatible apps reuse it.

What it can add

With SMTP configured, compatible apps can unlock email-backed features such as:

  • Seafile password reset emails
  • Seafile share-link and notification emails
  • Vaultwarden verification emails
  • Vaultwarden welcome emails
  • Vaultwarden master password hint emails and other account notifications

Who this is for

This page is for advanced users.

You should only use this if you already know how to obtain and verify:

  • SMTP host
  • SMTP port
  • SMTP security mode
  • SMTP username
  • SMTP password or API key
  • sender email address

If that list already feels unfamiliar, it is completely fine to skip SMTP and keep using the suite without it.

Shared config model

My Own Suite uses one shared SMTP configuration in the My Own Suite / MOS / suite-manager service, depending on your deployment method.

Compatible apps then reuse those same values instead of each app needing its own separate mail setup.

The shared variables are:

SMTP_ENABLED=false
SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_SECURITY=starttls
SMTP_USERNAME=smtp-user
SMTP_PASSWORD=change-me
SMTP_FROM=noreply@example.com
SMTP_FROM_NAME=My Own Suite

For a normal authenticated SMTP provider:

  • SMTP_PORT=587
  • SMTP_SECURITY=starttls

Use force_tls when your provider requires implicit TLS on port 465.

Use off only when you deliberately need plain SMTP on a trusted network.

Where to configure it

Railway

Open the My Own Suite / MOS service in the Railway template deploy flow.

The owner name, owner email, and owner password are the only required values for normal users.

If you want SMTP, click Configure and expand the collapsed environment variables on that same service. Railway does not provide a useful sort order for these variables, so the SMTP fields may be scattered among the other inputs.

This is optional and mainly intended for advanced users who already know what values they need.

VPS or local Docker Compose

Set the shared SMTP values in:

deploy/vps/services/suite-manager/.env

Then run:

Terminal window
npm run vps:doctor

The doctor checks only require the SMTP fields when SMTP_ENABLED=true.

Self-host on your own hardware

The current self-host path still builds on the same Docker Compose stack as the VPS/local setup, so the same shared SMTP configuration applies there too.

How it works

  • The shared SMTP variables live in the suite-manager-level configuration.
  • Seafile and Vaultwarden can reuse those values automatically.
  • The suite still works normally when SMTP is disabled.

Current SMTP-capable apps in this repo:

  • Seafile
  • Vaultwarden

Troubleshooting

Misconfigured SMTP can make some app actions feel slow or appear to hang.

That happens because some apps send the email during the request itself instead of through a background queue.

If that happens, verify:

  • host
  • port
  • security mode
  • username
  • password
  • sender address

Then check the relevant app logs:

  • Seafile logs for password reset or share-link send attempts
  • Vaultwarden logs for verification, welcome, hint, or other account email attempts

App-specific notes

For app-specific behavior, see: