Today's Deep-Dive: Postal

Hey everyone and welcome back for another deep dive.

You know, we love getting into the nitty gritty of things here and today is no

exception. We are diving headfirst into the world of open source,

mail delivery platforms. I know, right?

Specifically we're going to be looking at postal. Okay. Which, you know,

it might sound a little bit technical at first glance, but I promise you,

it's something that affects pretty much all of us online in ways that we probably

don't even realize. Yeah. Um, before we get into that though,

a huge thank you to safe server for powering today's deep dive.

Always appreciate them.

They are the experts in hosting solutions and even digital transformation.

That's right. So if that's something you're thinking about,

be sure to check them out at www.safeserver.de. Absolutely. All right.

So postal, open source, mail delivery. Sounds interesting.

We're even talking about here.

Well, I think the best way to understand postal is to think about like the big

names in email, like, you know, send grid or mail.

Postal is basically like having your own mini version of those running on your

own servers. Okay. So instead of relying on like a big company to handle all my

emails, I would have like my own setup. Exactly.

But why would someone choose to do that? I mean, it sounds like a lot of work.

You know, it definitely can be, but for some businesses or individuals,

that control and that flexibility that comes with it is a real game changer.

Okay. I see. Imagine, you know, being able to customize every single aspect of

your email system from, you know, security protocols to sending limits.

Yeah. You're not locked into a one size fits all solution.

So like if I'm a company that's, you know, growing really quickly,

I can scale my email system along with my growth.

Precisely. You can adjust capacity as needed and it integrates seamlessly with

your existing systems. Cool. And I'm not a developer, but I can imagine this is

really appealing for developers too. Right? Absolutely. Yeah. Um, you know,

our sources highlight a really cool feature called development mode. Okay.

You're building a website and you're testing out, you know,

email functionality with postal.

You can actually hold those test emails in a queue and it prevents them from

accidentally going out to like your whole subscriber list. Oh,

that's a lifesaver. It is.

I've definitely sent a few accidental test emails in my time. Oh yeah.

We've all been there and it is not fun. No, it's not fun. But okay.

So if I'm running my own email server, that also means I have to worry about

security myself, right?

That's a great question and security is definitely top of mind for anyone

considering this. Yeah, it sounds kind of intimidating. Understandably so,

but the good news is postal has a lot of security features built in. Okay.

Like it integrates with spam assassin, which is a spam filter and are spammed,

which is another spam filter. Gotcha.

These tools help protect your emails from like viruses and other threats.

So it's like having a whole security team working behind the scenes to keep my

emails safe. Yeah, you can think of it that way. That makes me feel better. Good.

But I am still kind of curious about this whole open sources thing. Okay.

Like what does that actually mean for someone who might be considering using

postal? Yeah.

So open source basically means the code behind postal is publicly available.

Okay. So anyone can see it, use it and modify it. That's interesting.

So it's kind of like sharing the recipe instead of just selling the finished

dish. Yeah. That's a good analogy. I like that. And that brings a lot of advantages.

Okay. Like what? Well, first of all, it means transparency. Okay.

You can see exactly how the software works,

which can be really reassuring from like a security and privacy standpoint.

Right. So no more black boxes. Exactly. Or hidden algorithms. No more of that.

Cool. What else? So the second big advantage is customizability. Okay.

If you've got the technical skills,

you can actually tweak and modify postal to fit your specific needs.

You're not limited by, you know, whatever the company decides to include.

And then finally it can often mean lower costs. Oh, that's a good one. Yeah.

You don't have to pay those expensive licensing fees that come with a lot of

proprietary software. Okay. So this started to sound pretty good. Yeah.

So for someone who's hearing about postal for the first time,

what would you say are the key things that set it apart from those big name

email providers?

I think the biggest difference is the level of control you have with postal.

You're really in the driver's seat. You decide how it's set up,

how it's secured, how it scales. It's all about empowerment and flexibility.

That makes a lot of sense. But with great power comes great responsibility,

right? That's right. Running my own mail server. Sounds like it requires,

you know, a decent amount of technical expertise. Yeah, that's true.

It's not just plug and play, but it's not as daunting as it might seem at first

either. Okay. Postal comes with, you know, comprehensive documentation.

There's an active community of users and developers who are always willing to

help. Oh, wow. So you're not just left to figure it out on your own.

Not at all. And plus the web interface is designed to be pretty user friendly,

even if you're not like a server admin. Oh, cool. You can manage your servers,

view logs, configure settings. Wow. All from a central dashboard.

So it's like finding that balance between like power and usability.

Exactly. I like that. And you know,

we mentioned earlier that one of the great things about open source software is

that community aspect. Absolutely. And postal is a great example of that.

Our source actually included a call for support for the project.

They're encouraging anyone who's interested in contributing to reach out.

That's so cool. So it's not just about using the software.

It's about being part of something bigger. It really is.

It's about contributing to the growth and the evolution of this tool that can

benefit everybody. I love that. Okay.

So we've talked about a lot of the technical aspects and the benefits of using

Postal, but I want to bring it back to the listener for a moment. Sure.

So imagine you're running an online business, sending out newsletters,

marketing emails, all those essential communications.

Why should you care about the difference between an open source solution like

Postal and those big established email providers?

That's a great question. And you know,

it boils down to a few key factors, control transparency and cost.

With Postal, you're not just a customer.

You're part of a community, right?

You have a say in how the software evolves. You have access to the underlying code.

You know exactly what's happening with your data.

And you can potentially save a lot of money in the long run.

That's always good.

So it's about having more autonomy over my digital infrastructure,

understanding how things work and saving some cash along the way.

Sounds pretty appealing to me, but I got to admit,

I'm still a little intimidated by this whole running my own mail server thing.

I understand.

Is this really something that anyone can do or do you need to be like a tech

wizard to get started with postal?

That's a really common misconception about open source software. And while,

you know, it does require some level of technical comfort,

postal has done a great job of simplifying that setup and configuration process.

They have excellent documentation, active community forums,

and the interface is very user friendly. Wow.

So you're saying I don't need a degree in computer science to get this thing up

and running. Not at all.

There's plenty of resources to guide you through the process.

And if you do hit a snag, the community is always there to help. Oh,

that's great. It's almost like having tech support on call 24 seven. Yeah.

Except they're volunteers who are passionate about open source. That's great.

Cool. Well,

we've covered a lot of ground in this first part of our deep dive we have from

the basics of what postal is to the advantages of open source and the

importance of community. But before we wrap up,

I want to go back to a couple of features that really caught my eye.

The development mode and the scalability aspect. Right.

I think those are especially relevant for, you know,

our listeners who are running businesses or working on web dev projects.

Absolutely.

So let's dive a little deeper into those in the next part of our conversation.

Sounds like a plan. Awesome. Yeah. Okay.

So let's talk more about that development though. Yeah. Let's get into that.

Anyone who's ever accidentally sent out like a test email to their entire list.

Oh my God. This feature is a game changer. Oh, tell me about the panic is real.

So how does this development mode actually work?

Basically it lets you queue up emails while you're like testing things out.

You can preview them, make sure everything looks good.

And only when you're absolutely certain, do they actually go out.

That takes away so much of the stress. It really does. Oh my God.

No more triple checking every recipient before I hit send. Exactly.

And I imagine this is especially helpful for like developers who are constantly

testing and tweaking things.

Yeah, absolutely. It really streamlines their workflow. That's amazing.

Okay. So development mode, you have my heart. Good. What about scalability though?

Okay. Yeah. We touched on this a little bit before,

but I'd love to like really dig in here for our listeners who are running

businesses or projects that are growing quickly. Why is this such a big deal?

So think about it this way. Okay. You start with a small email list.

Maybe you're sending out a newsletter once a month. Yeah.

A basic email plan from one of the big providers might work just fine. Right.

But then let's say your business takes off. Your list grows.

Suddenly you're sending out multiple emails a week, maybe even daily campaigns.

And those sending limits start to feel a lot more restrictive. Yeah, for sure.

Suddenly it's a problem. Right. And then you're faced with this choice,

either upgrade to a more expensive plan,

even if you only need that extra capacity for a short period,

or deal with the frustration of hitting those limits and having

your emails delayed. Neither option sounds very fun. No, not really.

So how does postal help? So that's where the scalability of postal really shines.

Okay. As you control your own server. Right.

You can easily adjust your capacity up or down whenever you need to.

So it's like having an elastic email system. Yeah, exactly.

You can like expand and contract to fit my needs. Precisely. That's cool.

And I imagine that flexibility also saves money in the long run.

It definitely can. You're only paying for what you're actually using. Right.

Not some random limit set by a third party. Exactly. That makes a lot of sense.

And let's be real. Cost is a major factor for any business. Oh, absolutely.

Especially, you know, startups. Yeah, exactly. With limited budgets.

So it's not just about saving money though, right?

It's also about having like the peace of mind that my email system can handle

anything. Exactly. No more bottlenecks or delays, just smooth,

reliable email delivery. I like the sound of that.

It sounds like postal is putting the power back in the hands of the users.

I think that's a good way to put it. Yeah.

Giving them the tools to really like tailor their email systems to their specific

needs. Yeah. That's the beauty of open source. You know,

when we started this deep dive, I'll admit, I was a little bit skeptical.

This whole running my own mail server thing seemed really daunting. Yeah.

Like something that only hardcore tech people could handle. Yeah, I get that.

But you've painted a different picture. Good. Really highlighting, you know,

the accessibility of postal. Yeah. And the user friendliness, right?

And don't forget about the incredible support from the community.

That's true. That seems to be like a common thread with a lot of these open

source projects. Yeah, for sure. It's not just about the software.

It's about the people behind it. Absolutely. The shared knowledge,

the collaborative spirit, right? It's like, you're not alone in this. Exactly.

Okay. I'm starting to get it.

But we've talked about a lot of like the technical aspects and the benefits of

using postal, but I'm curious about like the bigger picture here. Okay.

What does the rise of these powerful user friendly open source

solutions like postal mean for the future of email?

Ooh, that's a great question. It feels like a shift is happening. It does.

And I think it speaks to a larger trend we're seeing across the entire tech

world. Okay. Like what?

People are really starting to look for alternatives to those big centralized

platforms that have traditionally dominated the internet.

It's like a shift from a closed ecosystem to a more open and decentralized one.

Exactly. And open source is a big part of that. It is.

They empower people and organizations to take control of their own digital

infrastructure.

So are we going to see this mass exodus from those big name email providers?

It's definitely possible as more people become aware of the advantages of open

source, the transparency, the customizability, the cost savings.

I think we'll see more and more businesses and individuals making the switch.

It's almost like a democratization of technology. I like that.

Putting the power back into the hands of the people.

Yeah. Empowering users, fostering innovation,

creating a more equitable digital landscape.

Now, before we wrap up this deep dive into postal and open source mail

delivery, I want to leave our listeners with like a final thought provoking

question. Okay. I like those with the rise of these powerful,

accessible alternatives.

What does the future hold for those big commercial email providers?

That's the million dollar question, isn't it? I think so.

Only time will tell, but one thing's for sure.

The landscape of email delivery is changing and open source solutions like

postal are at the forefront of that change.

Yeah. It really feels like we're at this like crossroads right now.

You know, on the one hand,

you've got these massive companies with tons of resources and a long history of,

you know, providing email services. And then on the other hand,

you have these like really nimble community driven,

open source solutions like postal that are gaining traction and offering like a

real alternative. Yeah. It's a classic David and Goliath story. I know, right.

But in tech, sometimes the underdogs have a surprising advantage. That's true.

I mean, they can move faster, innovate more quickly,

and really listen to the needs of their users.

And in a space like email where, you know,

personalization and control are becoming so important,

that could be a huge difference maker. Absolutely.

And I think a lot of businesses are starting to realize that, you know,

relying on just a single monolithic provider for something as crucial as email

can be pretty risky. It can be. Yeah. You know,

what happens if that provider has an outage or changes their pricing

structure or gets acquired by a company with, you know, different values?

Oh, that's a good point. It's like putting all your eggs in one basket.

Exactly. And that basket is controlled by someone else.

And you don't have any say over what happens to it. That's scary.

Open source solutions like postal are like a way to diversify, right?

Absolutely. Take back control, make sure that like my email infrastructure is

aligned with my own needs and values. And let's be honest,

there's something kind of appealing about supporting a community driven project

rather than, you know, just lining the pockets of another giant corporation.

For sure. I think a lot of people feel that way. Yeah.

There's that sense of ownership shared purpose that you just don't get with

proprietary software. You're a part of something bigger. It is. Yeah.

It's about building something valuable for everyone. Exactly. Well said. Okay.

So I think we've covered a lot of grand today. We have from, you know,

what postal is to the broader implications of open source and like the future of

email. And honestly, I'm waking this conversation,

feeling a lot more informed. That's great to hear.

And even a little bit inspired. I love that.

I love seeing people get excited about the possibilities of open

source. Yeah, it's pretty cool.

So for those listeners who are ready to kind of take the plunge and explore this

world of open source mail delivery, where should they start?

I mean, Postal's website is a great resource.

You can find all the documentation you need there,

links to the community forums and other helpful resources.

Awesome. And of course we can't forget about our amazing sponsor, Safe Server.

If you're looking for a reliable hosting solution for your open source projects,

or just need some guidance on your digital transformation journey,

they are the experts to call. Check them out at www.safeserver.de.

Definitely. Okay. So on that note, it's time to wrap up this deep dive.

But before we go, I want to leave our listeners with one final thought.

Okay, shoot. The world of technology is constantly changing.

It is always changing.

The tools we use to communicate and connect are no exception.

That's true.

So don't be afraid to explore new possibilities,

challenge the status quo and embrace those solutions that empower you

and align with your values. I love that.

A huge thank you to all of our listeners for joining us on this adventure

into the world of open source and email delivery. Yes. Thank you for listening.

We hope you learned something new,

maybe discovered a new tool that can help you take control of your digital life.

Yeah. We'll see you on the next deep dive. See ya.

Yeah. We'll see you on the next deep dive. See ya.