Webmail Without PHP

February 20, 2007 9:31 AM

Non-PHP based webmail?

Does anyone have experience implementing a robust non-PHP webmail system for an IMAP and/or POP3 server?

I used to run IMP for a server I'm in charge of, but the PHP setup was compromised and I've since taken it down. I'd like to restore webmail for my users but I'm not going to use PHP again. I'm looking for something that'll provide webmail with SSL that'll be secure and relatively easy to maintain. I'm amenable to open source or to a commercial product. It'd have to work on solaris or Mac OS X.

posted by ursus_comiter to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

How about gMail via GoogleAppsForYourDomain? I've used it for a commercial website (very small scale), and it works excellently.
posted by The Michael The at 9:46 AM on February 20, 2007

What PHP solution were you using? We use SquirrelMail, and as far as I know it's been fine.

I hate PHP as much as the next guy, but honestly, security has a hell of a lot more to do with the developer than it does with the language. Perl isn't immune to this problem... just look up Matt Wright. The problem with PHP is that there are so many self-taught/poorly taught programmers and they make stupid (security wise) mistakes.
posted by sbutler at 9:51 AM on February 20, 2007

I was using IMP, which is a part of HORDE, but it wasn't via IMP that the compromise occurred, it was a hole in the PHP implementation. I had actually tried to update PHP before the compromise, but that had caused IMP to cease working, so I put it off for the time being and got hosed for it.

PHP is off the table.

And I need a web front end for my existing mail server. GAFYD doesn't seem to supply that.
posted by ursus_comiter at 10:06 AM on February 20, 2007

If you're using Courier, you could give SqWebMail a shot. I don't like it, but I do like that it's not PHP.

I hate PHP as much as the next guy, but at least for right now, if you want decent (flexible, pretty, etc.) webmail, PHP seems to be a necessary evil.
posted by cryosis at 10:45 AM on February 20, 2007

sbutler: Squirrelmail is totally PHP.

So is RoundCube, as nice as it is.

iBox might be an option. It's a perl webmail app.
posted by drstein at 10:56 AM on February 20, 2007

we did one in Coldfusion at work... It was poorly coded so we don't use it, but it is proof that it is possible.


Grant Brammer
posted by magikker at 10:56 AM on February 20, 2007

Mailr is in Ruby (on Rails).
posted by thisjax at 12:29 PM on February 20, 2007

Open Webmail and NeoMail are both reasonable perl-based options.
posted by braintoast at 9:56 AM on February 21, 2007

would zimbra to be too big for you?
posted by bored at 2:22 PM on February 21, 2007