Documentation

Getting started, connecting a mail app and managing your account.

Request an account

1. Obtain a valid invitation code and submit a request. Codes can have an expiry, usage limit or contact-email restriction.
2. Save your private Request ID and receipt link. Volunteers review the application; if you gave a contact email, check its inbox and spam folder for replies.
3. If approved, use the single-use registration link within five days: by email when you gave one, otherwise from your receipt page. Save and confirm your recovery code, then complete the required password change.
4. Use the same account credentials in the panel, webmail and your mail app. No separate signup is needed.

After approval, your private receipt shows whether the registration email is queued or accepted for sending. Three days after successful registration and mailbox setup, the receipt, discussion and live application details are removed; your new account and mailbox remain. Email copies, audit records and backups can remain.

Connect a mail app

• IMAP: imap.commonside.org, port 993 with implicit TLS, or port 143 with required STARTTLS.
• SMTP: smtp.commonside.org, port 465 with implicit TLS, or port 587 with required STARTTLS.
• Username: your full primary username@commonside.org address.
• Password: your account password. SMTP authentication is required. Use TLS 1.2 or newer; legacy SSL protocols and plaintext login are not supported. Some clients label implicit TLS “SSL/TLS”; this setting uses modern TLS, not legacy SSL. Never select “None” or bypass certificate warnings.

Keep certificate verification enabled. Do not use an alias as a separate login or accept unexplained certificate warnings.

Use an alias

Create aliases in the account panel. After synchronization, an owned alias appears automatically in webmail's From choices. You can edit its display name and signature. Messages arrive in your existing mailbox; aliases share its quota and sending allowance.

In another mail app, add the alias as a sending identity while keeping your primary login. Sender and reply addresses must belong to your account. Removing an alias revokes sending permission immediately; routing cleanup may be delayed during an outage.

Storage and sending limits

Your mailbox has 512MB storage. The default sending allowance is 200 recipient-policy counts per calendar day, not necessarily 200 messages: multiple recipients consume multiple counts. Your panel shows the configured allowance. Keep your own copies of important mail.

Passwords and recovery

Save and confirm your recovery code separately from your password. Confirmed codes are required for protected password changes; rotating a code requires the previous code. Lost-password recovery uses the code once, so save and confirm a replacement afterward. Older accounts with an unconfirmed code can establish one using their current password.

Sign out other devices revokes other panel sessions, not every separate webmail or mail-app session. Username changes are currently unavailable. Never send staff your account secrets.

Keep your account active

The entire account is eligible for deletion after 12 calendar months without successful panel or mailbox access. Warnings go to the primary mailbox at least 30 and 7 days beforehand. Log in before cleanup starts to cancel it, restart the period and receive confirmation.

Connected authenticated IMAP sessions count as active. Incoming mail, monitoring and SMTP-only authentication do not reset the period. Delayed warning submission delays cleanup, but does not guarantee delivery or reading. Login cannot undo cleanup once it starts.

Delete messages or close your account

Purge data removes messages and aliases while keeping the account. Close account queues permanent deletion of live account, mailbox and webmail data. It cannot be reopened. Historical backups, audit records and recipients' copies can remain. Read Privacy before destructive actions.

Get help

Email support@commonside.org with the feature, approximate time and a redacted error message. Report abuse to abuse@commonside.org. The contact form is not available.