Linux sendmail or postfix

Is Postfix the same thing as Sendmail?

Everything I’ve read online seems to use these two terms interchangeably.

5 Answers 5

Sendmail is a different (and much older) program from Postfix. However for every mail server to succeed in the Unix environment, a sendmail binary (with some of the expected command line options) must be provided.

Postfix does emulate Sendmail’s implementation of sendmail , the message submission program. Other than that, they serve the same purpose, but accomplish it by rather different means.

Ok, so I can use most things that talk about requiring «sendmail» even though I have postfix setup because postfix has a mock-sendmail frontend script that handles everything. So my apps will never know it’s not sendmail they are talking with.

Postfix and sendmail are different implementations of Mail Transfer Agents which are using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) for email transport over the Internet.

Postfix first released in 1998 intended to be an alternative to the widely used Sendmail MTA which was used widely since 1982.

Here are the summaries of all 4 popular mail agents:

Postfix SummarySendmail Summary

Exim Summaryqmail Summary

And their comparison table:

MTA Suitability table

Sendmail and Postfix are indeed both Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs).

Postfix is quite a bit easier for a new admin to set up, and has some nice features that integrate well with the mail store end of the process (Cyrus POP/IMAP, Dovecot, etc.).

If you’re not actually going to be accepting email incoming into that box and it’s getting forwarded to another system, something lighter such as Exim may be a better choice.

I would love to setup Exim if it is noticeably smaller — but there just isn’t that much out there on it unless you already know what your doing.

We use Exim on the forwarding boxes because that’s what Ubuntu installs by default with mailutils. Running dpkg-reconfigure exim4-config and 30 seconds of configuration work to point it at the mail server.

Architecture: The most common difference between these two is architecture. Postfix has a modular architecture composed of many independent small executables. It provides multiple options, parameters, and features. In contrast, Sendmail has a monolithic design that uses a single process always running at the backend.

Performance: Sendmail is not great in terms of its performance, making it a poor competitor. Postfix has a queue manager that handles the queuing much more quickly.

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Postfix vs. Sendmail

The most common difference between these two is architecture. Postfix has a modular architecture composed of many independent small executables. It provides multiple options, parameters, and features. In contrast, Sendmail has a monolithic design that uses a single process always running at the backend.

  1. Is sendmail using postfix?
  2. Is sendmail still used?
  3. What is postfix used for?
  4. What is the difference between Postfix and Dovecot?
  5. Is Postfix SMTP?
  6. How does Sendmail work?
  7. Is Sendmail deprecated?
  8. Is sendmail a SMTP?
  9. Is Sendmail an MTA?
  10. Why is postfix better than infix?
  11. Who uses postfix?
  12. What is the value of the postfix?

Is sendmail using postfix?

Sendmail is a different (and much older) program from Postfix. However for every mail server to succeed in the Unix environment, a sendmail binary (with some of the expected command line options) must be provided.

Is sendmail still used?

A look at MailRadar.com shows that Sendmail is still the No. 1 MTA (mail transfer agent) in use today, followeded by Postfix, while Qmail is a distant third.

What is postfix used for?

Postfix is a great program that routes and delivers email to accounts that are external to the system. It is currently used by approximately 33% of internet mail servers. In this article, I’ll explain how you can use Postfix to send mail using Gmail with two-factor authentication enabled.

What is the difference between Postfix and Dovecot?

Postfix is an open-source mail transfer agent (MTA), a service used to send and receive emails. Dovecot is an IMAP/POP3 server and in our setup it will also handle local delivery and user authentication.

Is Postfix SMTP?

As an SMTP client, Postfix implements a high-performance parallelized mail-delivery engine. Postfix is often combined with mailing-list software (such as Mailman).

How does Sendmail work?

  • The sendmail program collects a message from a program like mailx or mailtool , edits the message header as required by the destination mailer, and calls appropriate mailers to deliver mail or to queue the mail for network transmission.
  • The sendmail program never edits or changes the body of a message.

Is Sendmail deprecated?

The RHEL 7 System Administrator’s Guide Section 15.3. 2 states that sendmail is considered deprecated and users are encouraged to use postfix when possible.

Is sendmail a SMTP?

Sendmail is a general purpose internetwork email routing facility that supports many kinds of mail-transfer and delivery methods, including the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) used for email transport over the Internet.

Is Sendmail an MTA?

Sendmail is a type of email message transfer agent or MTA that is widely used across Unix and Unix-like operating systems. MTAs including Sendmail send and receive mail via TCP or IP networks (that includes the Internet) following SMTP protocols. SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transport Protocol.

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Why is postfix better than infix?

Postfix has a number of advantages over infix for expressing algebraic formulas. First, any formula can be expressed without parenthesis. Second, it is very convenient for evaluating formulas on computers with stacks. Third, infix operators have precedence.

Who uses postfix?

Postfix is most often used by companies with 10-50 employees and 1M-10M dollars in revenue.

What is the value of the postfix?

Discussion Forum

Que. What is the value of the postfix expression 6 3 2 4 + – *:
b. Something between 5 and -5
c. Something between 5 and 15
d. Something between 15 and 100
Answer:Something between 15 and 100

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Postfix vs. Sendmail

Postfix and Sendmail are in the same category of Mail Transfer Agents. When selecting the MTA (Mail Transfer Agent) for your system, to choose the best option that meets your needs, you must consider a few important features, such as performance, security, documentation, and feasibility. The following points are given, based on which you can explore some technical aspects of MTAs:

  • More than one configuration file
  • Minimal syntax
  • Which type of scripting language is used
  • Check code stability
  • Source code contribution
  • Set of minimum features

In this article, you will learn about the basic idea of both Postfix and Sendmail. You will also see some common differences between Postfix and Sendmail.

Postfix

Postfix is the most commonly used free and open-source MTA (Mail Transfer Agent) used for deciding routes and delivering emails. It is a cross-platform email server that can be installed on most UNIX like operating systems. Postfix consists of many server and client programs, in which server programs are mostly running in the backend and client programs are invoked by the system administrator or user programs.

Pros

  • Security-oriented mail server
  • Provides detailed documentation
  • Works well in high queuing operation
  • Provides Sendmail compatibility
  • Active development
  • Cconfiguration is simple, according to configuration file parameters

Cons

Sendmail

Sendmail is a general-purpose MTA used for email routing. It supports different kinds of email transfer and mail delivery methods, in which SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is used to transport emails over the Internet. Some of the pros and cons of Sendmail are given below:

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Pros

Cons

Postfix vs. Sendmail – Comparison

Postfix and Sendmail are both MTAs, but the Postfix mail server is security-oriented, whereas Sendmail is a standard mail transfer agent for Unix systems. Based on the following features, we can easily compare some major differences.

Architecture

The most common difference between these two is architecture. Postfix has a modular architecture composed of many independent small executables. It provides multiple options, parameters, and features. In contrast, Sendmail has a monolithic design that uses a single process always running at the backend. Sendmail is dying out in comparison to Postfix because many prefer the architecture of Postfix.

Security

In comparison to other MTAs, Postfix emphasizes security. Postfix is much more secure than Sendmail, which has weak security architecture. Postfix is designed to overcome the vulnerabilities that are associated with Sendmail. Moreover, a good Postfix configuration secures sensitive data from spam, abuse, and leakage.

Performance

Sendmail is not great in terms of its performance, making it a poor competitor. Postfix has a queue manager that handles the queuing much more quickly. Some administrators claim that even with a high load, Postfix is more efficient than Sendmail.

Reliability

Sendmail is not more efficient than its competitor, Postfix. Therefore, it is not very reliable. Postfix is designed to replace Sendmail. Postfix is more reliable due to its modular architecture. It consists of independent components that can be easily changed in case of any problem. This is why Postfix provides such high-level reliability.

Administration or Flexibility

Postfix provides ease of administration and a high level of flexibility. For beginners, it is easy to administer and set up, as compared to other MTA services. Moreover, Postfix also supports the Sendmail command-line interface and is compatible with various mail filters of Sendmail. Sendmail loses to Postfix in terms of usability and flexibility. In practice, it is not a good choice for installing Sendmail MTA. But, at the same time, it is already installed on most Unix operating systems. Sendmail is a portable MTA. However, it can be used on non-Unix, OS-like windows. That is the reason why some people opt for Sendmail instead of Postfix.

Conclusion

This article briefly provided a comparison between Postfix and Sendmail. Sometimes, you may not need to restrict yourself to using only one MTA. When you do not want to design a new email server from scratch, then you can use Sendmail. But, in terms of performance, security, and other features, you might come to prefer Postfix MTA. You can choose either MTA, according to your requirements and preference.

About the author

Karim Buzdar

Karim Buzdar holds a degree in telecommunication engineering and holds several sysadmin certifications. As an IT engineer and technical author, he writes for various web sites. He blogs at LinuxWays.

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