FreeBSD configure AWS SES with Postfix MTA

by

To configure Amazon Web Services (AWS) Simple Email Service (SES) with the Postfix Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) on FreeBSD, you will need to follow these steps:

  1. Install the Postfix MTA by running the command “pkg install postfix”.
  2. Configure the Postfix MTA by editing the “/usr/local/etc/postfix/main.cf” file. Set the “myorigin” parameter to your domain name, set the “mydestination” parameter to “localhost” and set the “relayhost” parameter to the SES SMTP endpoint.
  3. Create a set of AWS credentials with permissions to send email via SES by following the instructions in the AWS documentation.
  4. Create a file named “/usr/local/etc/postfix/sasl_passwd” and add the following line to the file:
[SES_SMTP_ENDPOINT]:587 [AWS_ACCESS_KEY]:[AWS_SECRET_KEY]
  1. Use the “postmap” command to create a hashed version of the sasl_passwd file:
postmap /usr/local/etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
  1. Secure the sasl_passwd file by running the command “chmod 600 /usr/local/etc/postfix/sasl_passwd /usr/local/etc/postfix/sasl_passwd.db” 7. Edit the “/usr/local/etc/postfix/main.cf” file again and add the following lines to enable SASL authentication and to use the sasl_passwd file:
smtp_sasl_auth_enable = yes
smtp_sasl_password_maps = hash:/usr/local/etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
smtp_sasl_security_options = noanonymous
  1. Restart the Postfix service by running the command “service postfix restart”
  2. Test the SES configuration by running the command “sendmail -v [email_address]” and check the mail logs in “/var/log/maillog” for any errors.

Please note that you should replace the [SES_SMTP_ENDPOINT], [AWS_ACCESS_KEY], and [AWS_SECRET_KEY] placeholders with the appropriate values for your AWS SES configuration. Also, make sure that the email address you are using to send the email is verified in the SES service, otherwise, the email will be rejected.

It’s important to note that the instructions above are a general guide and some details may vary depending on the specific version of Postfix and FreeBSD that you are using. It’s recommended to consult the official Postfix documentation for more information. Additionally, keep in mind that sending email through AWS SES may incur costs.

Leave a Comment