Some days ago the development of a new project called “vSMTP” was presented which is developing a new mail server (MTA) aimed at providing high performance and offering flexible options for filtering and traffic management.
vSMTP is being developed with a primary focus on high security, which is achieved through extensive testing with static and dynamic tests, as well as the use of the Rust language, which, if used correctly, prevents many memory-related bugs. Configuration files are defined in TOML format.
While optimizing IT resources is becoming more of a challenge, cyberattacks remain a constant problem.
Every day, more than 300 billion emails are sent and received in the world. Billions of attachments are processed, analyzed, and delivered, contributing to increased greenhouse gas emissions.
To meet these challenges, viridIT is developing a new email gateway technology, also called vSMTP.
According to the test results published by the developers, vSMTP is ten times faster than competing MTAs. For example, vSMTP showed 4 to 13 times better performance than Postfix 3.6.4 when sending 100 KB messages and establishing 4 to 16 concurrent sessions. High performance is achieved through the use of a multi-threaded architecture, in which asynchronous channels are used to communicate between threads.
A feature of the project is also the presence of a vSL language built-in to write scripts to filter messages, allowing you to create very flexible rules to filter unwanted content and control traffic.
Of the characteristics that stand out, the following are mentioned:
- It is built 100% in Rust.
- It is modular and highly customizable.
- It has a complete filtering system.
- It is actively developed and maintained.
In addition to this, it is also mentioned that vSMTP allows you to create a complex set of rules to filter your emails using the Rhai-based Viridit scripting language (vsl).
With vSMTP you can:
- inspect/modify the content of incoming emails.
- forward and deliver emails locally or remotely.
- connect to databases.
- run commands.
- quarantined emails.
- and more.
The language is based on the Rhai language, which uses dynamic typing, allows code to be embedded in Rust programs and provides a syntax that resembles a cross between JavaScript and Rust.
The scripts are provided with an API to inspect and modify the messages messages, forward messages, and manage their delivery to local and remote hosts. The scripts support connecting to the DBMS, executing arbitrary commands, and quarantining messages. In addition to vSL, vSMTP also supports SPF and open relay list-based filters to combat spam.
It is worth mentioning that of the plans for a future version mentioned the possibility of integration with a SQL-based DBMS (since at the moment the address and host data are specified in CSV format).
Another change that is expected to be implemented is the support for DANE (DNS-based Named Entity Authentication) and DMARC (Domain based message). In addition to the fact that it is also planned to implement various authentication mechanisms.
As for longer-term plans (in more distant versions), it is planned to implement BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) and ARC (Authenticated Received Chain) mechanisms, the ability to integrate with Redis, Memcached and LDAP, tools to protect against DDoS and SPAM bots, plugins for organizing checks in antivirus packages (ClamAV, Sophos, etc.).
Finally for those interested in knowing more about this new project, you should know that the code of the project is written in Rust and is distributed under the GPLv3 license.
You can consult the source code of the project as well as its documentation and other information at the following link. Regarding the installation and configuration, you can consult the documentation offered at the following link.