Introducing Postfix 3.9.0: Enhanced Security and Scalability for Your Mail Server

Discover the latest release of Postfix 3.9.0, offering enhanced security, reliability, and performance for your mail server.

After almost a year of development, the Postfix community is proud to announce the release of Postfix 3.9.0, a stable branch of the popular mail server software. With this release, the project also marks the end of support for the Postfix 3.5 branch, which was released in early 2020.

Postfix is renowned for its exceptional security, reliability, and performance, a testament to its well-thought-out architecture and strict code design policies. Written in C language, Postfix is distributed under EPL 2.0 (Eclipse Public License) and IPL 1.0 (IBM Public License). According to a recent survey, Postfix powers 36.81% of mail servers, making it the second most popular mail server after Exim, which has a 56.61% share.

Postfix 3.9.0: Key highlights

Postfix 3.9.0 introduces several new features and improvements, enhancing its functionality and security. Here are some of the key updates:

1. MongoDB Client: Postfix 3.9.0 introduces a client for MongoDB, allowing users to store a database of virtual users, aliases, address matching lists, and various check tables in this DBMS. This feature enables Postfix to leverage MongoDB’s scalability and performance, making it an ideal solution for large-scale mail server deployments.
2. Forwarding ID: Postfix 3.9.0 adds support for forwarding ID, allowing users to pass forwarding IDs during SMTP sessions via the ENVID (Envelope ID) parameter in the ESMTP MAIL command. This feature enhances traceability and accountability in mail delivery.
3. MySQL and PostgreSQL Improvements: Postfix 3.9.0 introduces the “idle_interval” and “retry_interval” parameters for clients using MySQL and PostgreSQL. These parameters allow users to set the inactivity time before closing the connection and the timer for resending requests, improving connection management and reducing errors.
4. Charset Setting: Postfix 3.9.0 adds a “charset” setting to the MySQL client, allowing users to specify the default character encoding. This feature ensures compatibility with different MySQL versions and enhances data integrity.
5. Raw Public Key Support: Postfix 3.9.0 introduces support for raw public keys for TLS, allowing users to request a self-signed (raw) public key for TLS instead of an X.509 certificate. This feature enhances security and simplifies certificate management.
6. OpenSSL Configuration Files: Postfix 3.9.0 now supports OpenSSL configuration files, allowing users to specify a link to a file with TLS settings. This feature enhances security and reduces dependency on distribution settings.
7. Security Enhancements: Postfix 3.9.0 introduces several security enhancements, including protection against certain types of “Blind” attacks (SSRF attacks on web clients), SMTP smuggling attacks, and outgoing SMTP smuggling attacks. These features enhance Postfix’s security and protect against various attack vectors.
8. DNS Client Improvements: Postfix 3.9.0 limits the size of DNS query results returned to 100 records, reducing the risk of DNS amplification attacks and improving performance.

Wrapping up

Postfix 3.9.0 is a significant release that enhances security, reliability, and performance. With its new features and improvements, Postfix continues to be a popular choice for mail server software, providing users with a robust and secure solution for their mail server needs.

Via release notes

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