Need advice: google/gmail crippled my arch server e-mail reporting

benibilme · 2022-07-16 23:37:36

Hello,

I have several arch machines and one is acting as my home server. It used to send me e-mails about the statuses of cron jobs over gmail account which I opened for this purpose. I was using ssmtp package and gmail as the smtp relay service. However google has removed less secure application access which crippled my setup. I am now forced to use two factor authentication which requires to give my phone number to google which I do not want. Application password option only works with after enabling two factor authentication. I looked at oauth 2.0 for gmail, and simply lost in it. It also requires setting up application and giving up bunch of information. Arch wiki has many discouraging warning about oauth setups with different mta agents.

I looked a bit to postfix to send direct e-mail to internet e-mail address but could not be sure what I really need.

My requirement is simple, to replicate my old simple setup. I do not want to receive e-mails, no need to have mailboxes etc. If possible, I even do not want to run an full scale mta agent. I just want to be able to send e-mails from various scripts to one e-mail address which is my personal e-mail address. My personal e-mail address is currently and unfortunately in gmail. (I am looking for a free and reliable alternative to that as well)

postfix setups seem to require real domain name address and a certificate which I do not have. I do have a personal web site and domain name served by netlify in free tier but I do not want use that domain for this purpose. I do not know if I can send e-mails from my lan to a gmail account without real domain name.

I am really in need of advice and directions. Any help, directions are much appreciated.

Last edited by benibilme (2022-07-16 23:39:39)

jasonwryan · 2022-07-16 23:45:37

benibilme wrote:

I am looking for a free and reliable alternative to that as well.

These two requirements are mutually exclusive. Ditch gmail and pay for the service, at least you will know your data isn't the product.

Xyne · 2022-07-17 00:10:29

If you already use Gmail for your all your personal email. including automated notifications from several systems that likely reveal a lot of data, then what difference to your privacy does giving them your phone number really make? Their algorithms can almost certainly find it anyway as you are probably in several people's synchronized contacts which include your name, number and email, and probably tagged photos and everything else. The content of your email is far more revealing.

For your notifications, have you considered using an open source notification server such as gotify? You can keep everything on your own systems with no third-party support. There's an official command-line client for sending notifications that you can install on each system to send notifications, and there are several options for retrieving and displaying the notifications (e.g. open-source android app on f-droid, systemd service for displaying gotify notifications via dunst on your desktop). If you want added security then you can funnel all of your gotify traffic through e.g. wireshark and deny access from all public-facing interfaces.

Setting up the server on its own or behind a reverse proxy is simple. The notification pushers and retrievers all work with a URL and secret key generated by the server so the configuration for those is usually just 2 lines in a text file.

benibilme · 2022-07-17 01:05:44

Thank you all for the responses. You are all right about my personal e-mail for being in gmail and I have already given everything. I am in the process of leaving gmail. I am currently switching to tutamail. I am going to buy a huawei phone without google services as well. Thanks to Trump, otherwise it would be impossible to find a phone without apple or google services. I have been using gmail for 20 years or so, it is really hard to switch easily.

After my initial post, I suddenly decided to buy a shared hosting service that comes with e-mail stmp relay service and bought one. I will serve my website there and use 25 or so e-mail adresses for my server(s) or applications. I have never used a paid shared hosting before I hope I like it.

I will definetely take a look at gotify. It is very interesting. Xyne thank you for pointing it out.

However, linux creature in my inside forces me to try to run my own mta. I will try that as well after solving this emergent problem with the hosting service e-mail. If you have any knowledge, directions about any mta with direct send, I really would like to hear your experiences as well.

Last edited by benibilme (2022-07-17 01:07:46)

Arch Linux

#1 2022-07-16 23:37:36

Need advice: google/gmail crippled my arch server e-mail reporting

#2 2022-07-16 23:45:37

Re: Need advice: google/gmail crippled my arch server e-mail reporting

#3 2022-07-17 00:10:29

Re: Need advice: google/gmail crippled my arch server e-mail reporting

#4 2022-07-17 01:05:44

Re: Need advice: google/gmail crippled my arch server e-mail reporting

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