Piler

Self-Hosted

Open-source email archiving solution for compliance and retention

Overview

Piler is an open-source email archiver that captures, stores, and indexes emails for compliance, legal retention, and e-discovery needs. It supports ingestion via SMTP, IMAP, or POP3, integrates with mail servers like Postfix and Exim, and uses PostgreSQL/MySQL for storage. Key features include full-text search, role-based access control, audit logs, and export options (PDF/EML). Deployment is flexible: Docker containers for quick setup, or bare-metal/virtual machines for custom environments. It helps organizations meet GDPR, HIPAA, and other regulatory requirements while ensuring secure, retrievable email archives.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  piler:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: piler
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

Capture emails via SMTP/IMAP/POP3
Full-text search & advanced filtering
Compliance-ready retention policies
Role-based access control (RBAC)

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Piler hard to install?

Piler can be installed via Docker (simpler) or bare-metal. Docker images reduce setup time, but bare-metal requires configuring databases (PostgreSQL/MySQL) and integrating with your mail server (e.g., Postfix). Documentation is available, but basic Linux/server knowledge is helpful for non-Docker setups.

? Is it a good alternative to Google Vault?

Yes—Piler offers similar core archiving and compliance features as Google Vault but is self-hosted, giving you full control over data. It’s ideal for organizations that prefer on-premises storage or want to avoid SaaS subscription costs while meeting regulatory needs.

? Is it completely free?

Piler’s community version is open-source and free under the GPLv3 license. A commercial enterprise edition exists with additional features like priority support and advanced analytics, but the self-hosted core version has no cost.

Top Alternatives

Google Vault Search Google

Microsoft Exchange Online Archiving Search Google

Barracuda Email Archiver Search Google

Tool Info

Pricing Free/Open Source

Category Communication - Email - Mail Delivery Agents

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Open-source & free core version
⊕ Flexible deployment (Docker/bare-metal)
⊕ Integration with popular mail servers
⊕ Regulatory compliance support (GDPR/HIPAA)

Cons

⊖ Requires technical setup (database/mail server integration)
⊖ Limited GUI customization options
⊖ Steeper learning curve for advanced features