Email server?

[LB]

For fun, I want to be able to receive email to my IP address (using the valid syntax for email addresses allowing IP addresses instead of domain names). I don't want or need to send email from my IP address, that seems really messy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_address#Domain_part

I can't seem to find where to start. All I want to to be able to email e.g. test@[321.321.321.321] and be able to receive it via a server on my machine.

It seems that email is a very complex aspect of the internet and there's lots of confusing and conflicting resources on the subject, as well as protocols that seem bizarre to me.

Should I even attempt it?

[Little Bobby Tables]

for my two cents: i tried to make a mail client and it was horrible. pop3/imap/smtp are not as fun as irc for implementing. everyone who i asked for help from said i shouldnt

[LB]

I have no interest in email clients ;)

[ResidentBiscuit]

Should you attempt to implement any of these protocols? I definitely say no. They're pretty complex.

Should you attempt to set up your own mail server? Sure, installing packages that already have the protocols implemented is pretty straight forward. There is some system configuration to be done, so it's definitely a learning experience.

[Computergeek01]

SMTP is NOT complex, the other stuff around it is. But other then that I agree with ResidentBiscuit in that setting up your own mail server is something every computer aficionado should experience. Otherwise in order to accomplish what you want to do you would have to leave a port to your PC, which excepts arbitrary amounts of plain text, exposed to the outside world. This takes constant monitoring even with the amount of security that comes with the pre-packaged mail server software. I would never suggest putting something you wrote yourself out there. Don't take that as a prejudgment of your skill though.

[z0My6Up4]

Hold on. Aren't you the same fellow that claimed email was a waste of time a while ago?
http://www.cplusplus.com/forum/lounge/129302/

[LB]

I never claimed email was a waste of time, but I do still hold to my claim that it is being abused and overstaying its welcome in some ways. That doesn't mean I don't want to mess around with it.

[J4ke]

I've heard that ISPs will commonly block the various ports uses for different email protocols to prevent computers that have been infected with a "spam" virus from spamming email. If you want to receive email from computers outside your LAN, I'd look into what your ISP blocks and does not block.

[LB]

I've already taken that into consideration and am not affected by it.