Question 1

How do I run MailCrab in Docker?

Accepted Answer

Use the command `docker run --rm -p 1080:1080 -p 1025:1025 marlonb/mailcrab:latest`. This starts MailCrab with default ports, and you can access the web interface at http://localhost:1080. You can customize ports using environment variables like `SMTP_PORT` and `HTTP_PORT`.

Question 2

MailCrab vs MailHog: which is better?

Accepted Answer

MailCrab is lighter with a smaller Docker image (7.77 MB) and real-time WebSocket updates, but MailHog has a longer history and more community support. Choose MailCrab for minimal Rust-based setups and MailHog if you need broader compatibility or don't mind a larger footprint.

Question 3

How to enable TLS in MailCrab?

Accepted Answer

Set the environment variable `ENABLE_TLS_AUTH=true` when running, and MailCrab will generate a self-signed certificate printed to logs. For custom certificates, mount your own key.pem and cert.pem files to the container at /app/.

Question 4

Can MailCrab handle large attachments?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the web interface allows downloading attachments from captured emails. However, since all data is stored in memory, very large or numerous attachments could exacerbate memory issues without proper retention settings.

Question 5

Is MailCrab suitable for production use?

Accepted Answer

No, MailCrab is explicitly designed for development testing. It lacks persistence, scalability, and robust error handling needed for production email servers, as all emails are stored in-memory and performance bottlenecks exist.

Question 6

How to delete emails in MailCrab?

Accepted Answer

Use the API endpoint `POST /api/delete/[id]` for single messages or `POST /api/delete-all` for all messages, accessible via the web interface. This helps manage memory usage during testing sessions.

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