# MailCrab

Email test server for development that accepts SMTP mail and shows it in a web interface, written in Rust.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/mailcrab/
Last reviewed: 2026-11-03
Listed since: 2026-11-03

## Record

### Links

- repository: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab

### Identity

- status: active
- maintainer: tweedegolf
- maintainerType: unknown
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: 2023
- hqCountry: unknown

### Kind

- category: dev-tool, email
- hosting: binary
- language: rust
- runtime: binary
- runtimeMin: unknown
- basedOn: unknown

### Content

- contentStore: not applicable
- databases: not applicable
- adminUi: yes
- headlessApi: not applicable
- templating: not applicable
- i18n: not applicable

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: local, always-on
- renderingModes: not applicable
- installMethod: docker

### License

- licenseModel: open-source
- license: Apache-2.0, Apache-2.0 OR MIT

### Releases

- currentMajor: 1
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-09-17

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 1002
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: not applicable
- contributors: 19
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: unknown
- dependentPackages: unknown

### Sources

- urls: https://api.github.com/repos/tweedegolf/mailcrab (read 2026-11-03)
- maintainer: https://api.github.com/repos/tweedegolf/mailcrab (read 2026-11-03)
- category: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-11-03)
- language: https://api.github.com/repos/tweedegolf/mailcrab (read 2026-11-03)
- runtime: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-11-03)
- installMethod: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-11-03)
- installMethod: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-11-03)
- installMethod: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-11-03)
- installMethod: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-11-03)
- runsAs: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-11-03)
- runsAs: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/blob/main/flydotio_deployment.md (read 2026-11-03)
- license: https://api.github.com/repos/tweedegolf/mailcrab (read 2026-11-03)
- license: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/blob/v1.9.0/mailcrab/Cargo.toml (read 2026-11-03)
- licenseModel: https://api.github.com/repos/tweedegolf/mailcrab (read 2026-11-03)
- firstRelease: https://api.github.com/repos/tweedegolf/mailcrab/releases (read 2026-11-03)
- currentMajor: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/releases/tag/v1.9.0 (read 2026-11-03)
- latestReleaseDate: https://hub.docker.com/v2/repositories/marlonb/mailcrab/tags/ (read 2026-11-03)
- githubStargazers: https://api.github.com/repos/tweedegolf/mailcrab (read 2026-11-03)
- contributors: https://api.github.com/repos/tweedegolf/mailcrab/contributors?per_page=1 (read 2026-11-03)
- adminUi: https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-11-03)

## Notes

MailCrab is an email test server for development, written in Rust. It accepts all SMTP mail, keeps it in memory while it runs, and shows it in a web interface that also displays attachments, headers and the raw message. The README describes it as inspired by MailHog and MailCatcher.

It runs from a Docker image, a single binary build, or a Helm chart on Kubernetes.

## Worth knowing

The README describes MailCrab as a development tool, not a service for live mail. Messages stay in memory until a restart unless a retention period clears older ones.

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Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attributes are recorded, never scored; absent means unknown.
Credit, in full: FindSoftware, CC BY 4.0