Galae is a self-hosted email server stack derived from Mailcow, rebuilt for teams that need higher email deliverability and a production-ready Docker setup out of the box.
The Problem
Running a self-hosted email server with good deliverability is notoriously difficult. Standard Mailcow deployments work well but require tuning for high-volume or high-deliverability scenarios. Teams serving multiple domains with wildcard aliases, or those needing external database support for scale, often outgrow a standard Mailcow install before they can afford hosted alternatives like Google Workspace.
How Galae Solves It
Galae extends Mailcow with targeted changes: support for wildcard email aliases, external database server connections, and enhanced SOGo client integration. The full stack runs as Docker containers, matching Mailcow's operational model while adding changes that Mailcow upstream has not merged. A hosted version is available at galae.net. GPL-3.0 licensed with full source on GitHub.
Key Features
- Wildcard email aliases and "0" as a valid local part for flexible addressing
- External database support for teams running managed database services
- SOGo email client integration for browser-based webmail
- Custom theming and branding for white-label deployments
- Docker-based deployment that mirrors the Mailcow operational model
- GPL-3.0 licensed; hosted option available at galae.net
Who It's For
Galae is best for system administrators comfortable with Mailcow who need wildcard alias support and external database connections for production multi-domain deployments.
Compared to Mailcow
Unlike standard Mailcow, Galae ships with wildcard aliases and external database support configured for production use. Mailcow has a larger community and broader documentation; Galae addresses the specific extensions that teams running high-volume multi-domain setups need.
