IMAP / SMTP

Any mailbox: server, port and app password.

An IMAP / SMTP connection plugs in any mailbox that offers standard IMAP for receiving and SMTP for sending: a hosting provider's mailbox, a company mail server, or any provider without a dedicated connection. Mankomail mirrors the mailbox through IMAP and sends through SMTP, so it can be used as a trigger and as a sending mailbox like any other.

Unlike Google and Microsoft, there is no authorisation page to go through: the member fills in a form with the server addresses and a password. Each IMAP connection belongs to the member who creates it and serves a single mailbox.

At a glance

• Identifier: imap
• Family: Account
• Set up by: Each member, for themselves
• Authentication: Server address, login and password
• Credential type: imap

Before you start

Gather the following from your mail provider or your administrator:

• the mailbox address that receives the mail;
• the incoming server (IMAP) host name and port, and whether it uses TLS from the start (usually port 993) or STARTTLS (usually port 143);
• the outgoing server (SMTP) host name and port, and whether it uses TLS from the start (usually port 465) or STARTTLS (usually port 587);
• the login name, when it differs from the address;
• the password. If your provider offers app passwords, create one for Mankomail: it can be revoked on its own without changing your main password. It must allow both reading and sending.

Also check that:

• the instance has an encryption key (ENCRYPTION_KEY), otherwise the password cannot be stored — see environment variables;
• the account accepts a password login over IMAP and SMTP. Mankomail does not sign in to IMAP servers with OAuth: a server that only accepts OAuth sign-in cannot be connected this way.

Google and Microsoft mailboxes

For a Gmail or Microsoft 365 mailbox, prefer the Google or Microsoft connection: it goes through the provider's API and gives a richer mirror than IMAP.

Add the connection

1. Open Connections, click Add a connection, then Connect on the IMAP / SMTP card. The same form opens from Mailboxes › Connect an IMAP mailbox.
2. Fill in the form Connect an IMAP mailbox:

Field	Required	What to enter
Mailbox address	yes	The address that receives the mail. It is the mailbox's identity in Mankomail, not necessarily the login name.
Incoming (IMAP) › Server	yes	The IMAP host name, e.g. imap.example.com.
Incoming (IMAP) › Port	yes	Pre-filled with 993.
Incoming (IMAP) › Encrypted from the start (TLS)	—	Ticked by default. Unticked, the connection opens in the clear then switches to STARTTLS — never in the clear all the way.
Outgoing (SMTP) › Server	yes	The SMTP host name, e.g. smtp.example.com.
Outgoing (SMTP) › Port	yes	Pre-filled with 465.
Outgoing (SMTP) › Encrypted from the start (TLS)	—	Ticked by default; same rule as above.
Login name (optional)	no	Only when your host gave you a login name that differs from the address. Left empty, the address is used.
Password	yes	Never shown again. Prefer an app password when your provider offers one.
Advanced › Accept a certificate the system does not validate	no	For an internal server with a self-signed certificate only (see the warning below).

3. Click Connect the mailbox. The button shows Testing the connection… while Mankomail opens a real IMAP session (it selects the inbox in read-only mode), then a real SMTP session. Nothing is saved until both succeed. If one of them fails, the form says which server refused and highlights the field to correct.
4. On success, the message Mailbox … connected. appears, the mailbox starts syncing under Mailboxes, and the connection is listed in Connections under Mail and cloud accounts, with a Manage mailboxes button.

Self-signed certificates

Ticking Accept a certificate the system does not validate removes the only protection against a server impersonating yours: your credentials would be sent to it with nothing to warn you. Use it only for an internal server whose certificate you know to be self-signed — never to get past a certificate error on a public provider.

Change the password or reconnect

To change the password or the server settings, connect the same address again with the form. Mankomail tests the new settings, then replaces the stored credentials of the existing mailbox: no second mailbox is created. A mailbox that was disconnected is reactivated the same way, with its history.

From Mailboxes, Reconnect this mailbox reopens the form with the address already filled in.

The password is never displayed, returned by the API or written to logs: if you have lost it, set a new one at your provider and reconnect.

Disconnect

An IMAP connection is removed from Mailboxes: disconnecting the mailbox stops the sync, keeps its history readable, and erases the stored password. Workflows that trigger on this mailbox or send from it stop doing so until you reconnect. See mailboxes and the mirror.

Common errors

The connection test returns one of eight codes. The prefix tells which server refused: imap. for receiving, smtp. for sending. An smtp. error means receiving already works — only the outgoing settings need fixing.

Code	Shown message (summary)	Cause	What to do
imap.host_not_found	Incoming server not found.	The host name does not exist, or DNS did not answer.	Fix the incoming Server.
imap.unreachable	The incoming server did not answer on that port.	Wrong port, port closed, connection cut — or any failure that could not be classified.	Fix the incoming Port: 993 with TLS, 143 without.
imap.tls_failed	The encrypted connection to the incoming server failed.	TLS setting that does not match the port, or a certificate the system refuses.	Check the port and the TLS box; for an internal self-signed server, see Advanced.
imap.auth_failed	The incoming server rejected your credentials.	Wrong login name or password, or password login refused by the account.	Check the Login name and Password.
smtp.host_not_found	Outgoing server not found.	The SMTP host name does not exist, or DNS did not answer.	Fix the outgoing Server.
smtp.unreachable	The outgoing server did not answer on that port.	Wrong port, or port blocked — many hosts block outgoing mail ports by default.	Fix the outgoing Port: 465 with TLS, 587 without.
smtp.tls_failed	The encrypted connection to the outgoing server failed.	TLS setting that does not match the port, or a refused certificate.	Check the port and the TLS box, or Advanced for a self-signed server.
smtp.auth_failed	The outgoing server rejected your credentials although the incoming one accepted them.	Typically an app password limited to reading.	Create a password that also allows sending.
credentials.encryption_disabled	This instance cannot store secrets: the encryption key is not configured.	ENCRYPTION_KEY is missing on the instance.	Ask the instance administrator to configure it.
bad_request	—	A field is missing or malformed (invalid address, port outside 1–65535…).	Correct the form.

Nodes that use this connection

No node of the catalogue requires this connection directly.