SEC.01

The playbook

The run starts read-only: the recon probes decide what happens next. The steps that follow are adapted to the distribution and state found — a real machine is rarely clean.

  1. 01recondistro (apt or dnf) and EL version
  2. 02reconDovecot already present? version 2.3 or 2.4 (different syntax)? active?
  3. 03reconexisting config (ssl, auth, mail_location) to preserve
  4. 04reconIMAP/POP3 ports already taken?
  5. 05reconLet’s Encrypt certificates available? MTA present for delivery?
  6. 06reconfirewall active (ufw or firewalld)?
  7. 07actInstall Dovecot IMAPverify
  8. 08actRequire TLS, refuse cleartext authverify
  9. 09actEnable and restartverify
  10. 10actCertificate served (only if a domain is provided)verify
  11. 11actOpen IMAPS 993 (only if a firewall is active)verify

SEC.02

What it verifies

Each step ships its own check. The run only moves on when the check passes, so what the recipe reports as done is what is actually on the server.

  1. 01Install Dovecot IMAPVerified bydovecot --version
  2. 02Require TLS, refuse cleartext authVerified bydoveconf -n | grep -E '^ssl = required'
  3. 03Enable and restartVerified bysystemctl is-active dovecot && ss -tlnH "sport = :993" | grep -c LISTEN
  4. 04Certificate served (only if a domain is provided)Verified byopenssl s_client -connect 127.0.0.1:993 -servername ${domain} </dev/null 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -subject | grep -c ${domain}
  5. 05Open IMAPS 993 (only if a firewall is active)Verified byufw status 2>/dev/null | grep -c 993 || firewall-cmd --list-services | grep -c imaps

SEC.03

Guardrails

Non-negotiable instructions the run must respect, whatever it finds on the server.

Never allow cleartext auth without TLS. Do not edit the stock files in /etc/dovecot: override in conf.d/99-servor.conf. Do not change mail_location on an existing install (risk of losing mailbox access). Only open 993.

SEC.04

Variables

What you choose before launching — the recipe fills in the rest.

NameMeaning
${domain}Let’s Encrypt certificate domain (optional)

SEC.05

How a recipe runs in Servor

Servor is zero-knowledge: the platform cannot execute anything on its own. When you launch this recipe, a run reads the reconnaissance, plans the steps and asks for your approval. Each approved command is signed by your browser — with a key the server never sees — then relayed verbatim to the agent, which verifies the signature locally before executing.

recipe — fail2ban_setup150+ in catalogue
security4 steps · low risk · idempotentrun
reconsshd present? ufw active? existing jails?✓
actinstall fail2ban · write default jails✓
actenable service · restart sshd (safe)✓
verifytest ban 60s · jails active · sshd alive✓

search by intent — type “firewall”, get ufw

  • 01Read-only reconnaissance before any change
  • 02Every command signed by your browser, approved by you
  • 03Each step verified before the run moves on, every run kept in the history

SEC.06

Deploy on Servor button

Maintain Dovecot IMAP or a project that needs it? Put this button in your README or on your site: one click and your users install it on their own server.

Deploy on ServorDark background
Deploy on ServorLight background
[![Deploy on Servor](https://servor.app/badges/deploy-on-servor.svg)](https://servor.app/deploy/install-dovecot)

SEC.07

Verified recipe

Run this recipe on your server

Connect a server, launch the recipe, and approve each step as Servor executes and verifies it. Free plan, no card required.