chasquid vs iRedMail
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | chasquid | iRedMail |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 78 · Good | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 977 | ★ 1,844 |
| First released | 2016 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace | Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace |
What are chasquid and iRedMail?
chasquid
chasquid is an SMTP server written in Go with a focus on being easy to configure and maintain for small personal mail servers. It handles message submission and delivery securely.
- Easy-to-configure SMTP server
- Automatic TLS via certificates
- SPF and DKIM support
- Lightweight Go implementation
iRedMail
iRedMail is a shell-script-driven mail server deployment that sets up Postfix, Dovecot, antispam, and webmail on major Linux and BSD systems. It supports OpenLDAP, MySQL, or PostgreSQL backends.
- Automated full mail stack install
- LDAP, MySQL or PostgreSQL backends
- SpamAssassin and ClamAV
- Roundcube and SOGo webmail
chasquid vs iRedMail: key differences
Chasquid is written in Go, while iRedMail is built with Shell. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for chasquid versus GPL-3.0 for iRedMail. Chasquid is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for iRedMail. IRedMail is the more established project (first released 2007), while chasquid arrived in 2016. Chasquid lists first-class Docker deployment; iRedMail does not.
Why pick each one
Choose chasquid if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- SMTP only, needs IMAP separately
- Small personal-use focus
Choose iRedMail if…
- Works on many distros
- Long-standing project
Watch out for
- Admin panel features gated in pro edition
- Script-based, less reproducible
Frequently asked questions
Is chasquid or iRedMail better?
Neither is universally better. iRedMail has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are chasquid and iRedMail free and open-source?
Yes. chasquid is licensed under Apache-2.0 and iRedMail under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run chasquid and iRedMail with Docker?
chasquid: yes. iRedMail: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, chasquid or iRedMail?
chasquid has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for iRedMail. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.