# Roundcube — Self-Hosted Webmail with a Modern Interface

> A full-featured browser-based IMAP email client with rich text editing, address books, folder management, and a clean responsive UI for any mail server.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Roundcube — Self-Hosted Webmail with a Modern Interface

## Quick Use
```bash
docker run -d -p 8080:80 
  -e ROUNDCUBEMAIL_DEFAULT_HOST=ssl://mail.example.com 
  -e ROUNDCUBEMAIL_SMTP_SERVER=tls://mail.example.com 
  roundcube/roundcubemail
```

## Introduction
Roundcube is a mature open-source webmail client written in PHP. It provides a desktop-like email experience in the browser, connecting to any IMAP server. It has been a staple of self-hosted email for over a decade, offering a polished UI with drag-and-drop, rich text composing, and a plugin system for extended functionality.

## What Roundcube Does
- Connects to any IMAP mail server and provides a web-based email client
- Supports rich text composing with inline images and HTML signatures
- Manages folders, filters, and server-side message rules (Sieve/ManageSieve)
- Includes an address book with LDAP, CardDAV, and local contact storage
- Provides full-text search across messages with server-side indexing

## Architecture Overview
Roundcube is a PHP application that communicates with IMAP and SMTP servers using standard protocols. The frontend is built with jQuery and a custom UI framework that provides a responsive, multi-pane layout. Session and cache data can be stored in MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite. The architecture is stateless per request, making it easy to scale behind a load balancer.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Deploy via Docker, apt packages on Debian/Ubuntu, or from the PHP source archive
- Configure IMAP and SMTP server addresses in `config.inc.php`
- Set up MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite for session and cache storage
- Install plugins by dropping them into the `plugins/` directory and enabling in config
- Place behind Apache or Nginx with PHP-FPM for production

## Key Features
- Drag-and-drop message management with multi-folder support
- ManageSieve integration for server-side email filtering rules
- Responsive design adapts to tablets and mobile screens
- Spell checking with multiple language support
- Extensible through plugins for calendars, 2FA, themes, and more

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **RainLoop / SnappyMail** — lighter webmail clients with fewer features; Roundcube is more mature and extensible
- **SOGo** — groupware with webmail, calendar, and contacts; heavier but broader feature set
- **Zimbra** — full email and collaboration suite; Roundcube is a standalone client connecting to any IMAP server
- **Horde** — PHP groupware framework; Roundcube focuses specifically on being a great email client
- **K-9 Mail / Thunderbird** — native apps; Roundcube provides browser-based access without installing software

## FAQ
**Q: Does Roundcube include a mail server?**
A: No. Roundcube is a web client only. You need a separate IMAP/SMTP server like Dovecot and Postfix.

**Q: Can I use Roundcube with Gmail or other providers?**
A: Yes. Roundcube connects to any IMAP server, including Gmail, Outlook, and custom mail servers.

**Q: How do I add two-factor authentication?**
A: Install the `twofactor_gauthenticator` plugin to add TOTP-based 2FA to the login process.

**Q: Is Roundcube still actively maintained?**
A: Yes. Roundcube continues to receive regular updates, security patches, and community plugin development.

## Sources
- https://github.com/roundcube/roundcubemail
- https://roundcube.net/about

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/0d58ce8e-3e68-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: AI Open Source