Setting Up Listmonk: An Open-Source Newsletter Mailing System

If you're looking for a robust, open-source newsletter and mailing list manager, Listmonk is an excellent choice. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up Listmonk on your server. The steps below will help you configure your domain, secure it with Let's Encrypt SSL certificates, and customize Listmonk for your needs.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the setup, ensure you have the following:

• A server instance with Nginx installed.
• Docker and Docker Compose installed on your server.
• A custom domain that you want to use for Listmonk.
• Basic knowledge of shell commands and editing configuration files.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Clone the Listmonk Repository

Start by cloning the Listmonk repository to your server:

https://github.com/yasoob/listmonk-setup

2. Modify init-letsencrypt.sh

This script sets up Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for your domain. You'll need to edit the script to include your custom domain and email address.

Open init-letsencrypt.sh in your favorite text editor and make the following changes:

• Line 8: Replace example.com with your custom domain.
• Line 11: Add your email address.

domains=(yourdomain.com)
email="youremail@example.com"

3. Edit config.toml

Next, configure the administrative credentials for Listmonk. Open config.toml and modify the following lines:

• Line 9: Set your admin username.
• Line 10: Set your admin password.

admin_user = "your_admin_username"
admin_password = "your_admin_password"

4. Update Nginx Configuration

Listmonk uses Nginx as a reverse proxy. You'll need to update the Nginx configuration to point to your custom domain. Open data/nginx/nginx.conf and replace all instances of example.com with your domain.

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://listmonk:9000;
        ...
    }
    ...
}

5. Obtain SSL Certificates and Launch Listmonk

Run the init-letsencrypt.sh script to obtain SSL certificates and start Listmonk:

./init-letsencrypt.sh

This script will handle the SSL certificate setup and launch Listmonk using Docker. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.

6. Verify Installation

Once the script completes, open a web browser and navigate to https://yourdomain.com. You should see the Listmonk login page. Log in using the admin credentials you set in config.toml.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You now have Listmonk up and running on your custom domain with SSL protection. Listmonk provides a powerful, self-hosted solution for managing newsletters and mailing lists, and with the steps above, you can ensure it's set up securely and customized to your needs.

For more detailed configuration and usage instructions, refer to the official Listmonk documentation. Happy mailing! 🚀