.TH "DOVECOT" "1" "October 2025" "65dfbff" "Dovecot"
.SH "NAME"
\fBdovecot\fR - A secure and highly configurable IMAP and POP3 server
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.P
\fBdovecot\fR \[lB]\fB-Fp\fR\[rB] \[lB]\fB-c\fR \fIconfig-file\fR\[rB]
.P
\fBdovecot -a\fR \[lB]\fB-c\fR \fIconfig-file\fR\[rB]
.P
\fBdovecot -n\fR \[lB]\fB-c\fR \fIconfig-file\fR\[rB]
.P
\fBdovecot --build-options\fR
.P
\fBdovecot --help\fR
.P
\fBdovecot --hostdomain\fR
.P
\fBdovecot --version\fR
.P
\fBdovecot reload\fR
.P
\fBdovecot stop\fR
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.P
Dovecot is an open source IMAP and POP3 server for Linux/UNIX-like systems, written with security primarily in mind. Dovecot is an excellent choice for both small and large installations. It's fast, simple to set up, requires no special administration and it uses very little memory.
.SH "OPTIONS"
.P
\fB-a\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Dump all configuration settings to stdout and exit successfully. The same as \fIdoveconf -a\fR.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fB-c\fR \fIconfig-file\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Start \fBdovecot\fR with an alternative configuration.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fB-F\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Run \fBdovecot\fR in foreground, do not daemonize.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fB-n\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Dump non-default settings to stdout and exit successfully. The same as \fIdoveconf -n\fR.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fB-p\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Prompt for the ssl key password for the configured \fIssl_server_key\fR on startup.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fB--build-options\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Show Dovecot's build options and exit successfully.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fB--help\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Print a usage message to stdout and exit successfully.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fB--hostdomain\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Shows the current \fIhost\fR.\fIdomain\fR name of the system. If the domain lookup should fail for some reason, only the hostname will be shown.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fB--version\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Show Dovecot's version and exit successfully.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.SH "COMMANDS"
.P
\fBreload\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Force \fBdovecot\fR to reload its configuration.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fBstop\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Shutdown \fBdovecot\fR and all its child processes.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
When \fIshutdown_clients\fR is set to \fBno\fR, existing sessions will continue to use the old settings, after a \fBdovecot reload\fR. Also all sessions will keep alive after a \fBdovecot stop\fR.
.P
By default all active sessions will be shut down.
.SH "SIGNALS"
.P
Dovecot handles the following \fIsignals\fR as described:
.P
\fBHUP\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Force \fBdovecot\fR to reload its configuration.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fBINT\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Shutdown \fBdovecot\fR and all its child processes.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fBTERM\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Shutdown \fBdovecot\fR and all its child processes.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fBUSR1\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Force \fBdovecot\fR to reopen all configured log files (\fIlog_path\fR, \fIinfo_log_path\fR and \fIdebug_log_path\fR).
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
The \fIsignals\fR \fBALARM\fR and \fBPIPE\fR are ignored.
.SH "FILES"
.P
\fI/etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf\fR
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Dovecot's main configuration file.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.P
\fI/etc/dovecot/conf.d/\fR.conf*
.RS 0
.RS 4
.P
Configuration files of different services and settings.
.RE 0

.RE 0

.SH "REPORTING BUGS"
.P
Report bugs, including \fIdoveconf -n\fR output, to the Dovecot Mailing List \fI\(ladovecot@dovecot.org\(ra\fR. Information about reporting bugs is available at: https://dovecot.org/bugreport.html
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.P
doveadm(1)