High Inbox SMTP Server Setup
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
I need a production-ready SMTP server that can reliably push 3,000+ messages every day while keeping at least 90 % of them in the primary inbox, not the spam folder. The environment must be properly authenticated with DKIM, SPF, and DMARC, and every connection secured over SSL/TLS. I will restrict access to approved addresses only, so IP whitelisting and individual user log-ins are mandatory.
Here is how I picture the engagement:
• You install and configure the MTA (Postfix, Exim, PowerMTA or similar—happy to hear your recommendation) on a VPS or dedicated machine I will provision.
• You generate and publish the DKIM keys, set the SPF record, and create a DMARC policy that balances protection with delivery.
• TLS certificates are installed, and the server listens only on encrypted ports.
• IP whitelisting is enforced at the firewall or MTA level, and each sender has unique SMTP credentials.
• You fine-tune throttling, bounce handling, and reputation monitoring so that we can comfortably scale beyond the initial 3 k/day without tripping ISP safeguards.
• A brief, clear runbook or screen-share hand-over shows me how to add new domains, rotate keys, and check logs.
Acceptance criteria
1. Test batch of 500 messages lands ≥90 % in Inbox/Primary on Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.
2. DKIM, SPF, and DMARC all pass on mail-tester.com and Google Postmaster Tools.
3. STARTTLS scan shows no weak ciphers; only whitelisted IPs can open a connection.
4. Documentation delivered in plain text or PDF and the root credentials handed off.
If this sounds like your daily bread, tell me which MTA you prefer and any additional tools (e.g., PostfixAdmin, MailWizz, Sendy) you would wire in for monitoring or queue management, plus the timeline you need to have everything live.
Here is how I picture the engagement:
• You install and configure the MTA (Postfix, Exim, PowerMTA or similar—happy to hear your recommendation) on a VPS or dedicated machine I will provision.
• You generate and publish the DKIM keys, set the SPF record, and create a DMARC policy that balances protection with delivery.
• TLS certificates are installed, and the server listens only on encrypted ports.
• IP whitelisting is enforced at the firewall or MTA level, and each sender has unique SMTP credentials.
• You fine-tune throttling, bounce handling, and reputation monitoring so that we can comfortably scale beyond the initial 3 k/day without tripping ISP safeguards.
• A brief, clear runbook or screen-share hand-over shows me how to add new domains, rotate keys, and check logs.
Acceptance criteria
1. Test batch of 500 messages lands ≥90 % in Inbox/Primary on Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.
2. DKIM, SPF, and DMARC all pass on mail-tester.com and Google Postmaster Tools.
3. STARTTLS scan shows no weak ciphers; only whitelisted IPs can open a connection.
4. Documentation delivered in plain text or PDF and the root credentials handed off.
If this sounds like your daily bread, tell me which MTA you prefer and any additional tools (e.g., PostfixAdmin, MailWizz, Sendy) you would wire in for monitoring or queue management, plus the timeline you need to have everything live.