Why Self-Hosting Email Is Problematic: A Startup's Experience with Email Deliverability Issues
By
willy__
3mo ago· 5 min readenInsight
80/100
Golden Brown
Bagelometer↗
Crisp on the outside, thoughtful on the inside. A keeper.
Score80TypeanalysisSentimentnegative
Summary
The author shares their experience with using a professional transactional email service (TEM) for their startup, contrasting it with the common suggestion to self-host email servers. They detail how despite using a reputable TEM with proper configurations (SPF, DKIM, dedicated IP), they were blocked by one of Germany's largest email providers for not sending enough email. The article serves as a cautionary tale against self-hosting email, highlighting the complexities of email deliverability, reputation management, and the hidden challenges that make professional email services more practical for businesses.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledPeople on different platforms, some of whom had, upon closer inspection, pretty technical titles in their LinkedIn bios, suggested I should just run my own mail server. Dovecot, Postfix, a VPS, done. How hard could it be?
One of Germany's largest email providers blocked me anyway - for not sending enough email. And people suggested I should self-host?
Mentioning a TEM generated more baffling (to me, obviously) 'well actually' replies than anything else in the post.
What actually happened: Picture this: You buy TEM from a reputable company with a dedicated IP. SPF, DKIM...
I used a professional transactional email service with a dedicated IP. One of Germany's largest email providers blocked me anyway - for not sending enough email. And people suggested I should self-host?
