Today's Project: Setting Up a Custom Email Domain for dim51

Initial Thought Process I recalled that Cloudflare might offer email-related services. A few years ago, I came across something about email domains, but I couldn’t remember whether it was a forwarding service or an actual email domain host.

Reflection While hosting my own email server sounded intriguing, I didn’t want to overburden my webserver with additional responsibilities. Ideally, I’d find a free or low-cost service that suits my hobbyist needs.

Exploring Cloudflare I spent some time exploring Cloudflare’s website and discovered a service called Zero Trust Inbox, which scans emails for threats. This was new and promising but not exactly what I needed. Unfortunately, Cloudflare didn’t seem to offer full email hosting, so I turned to ChatGPT for advice.

Exploring Options with ChatGPT ChatGPT suggested hosting my own email server but cautioned about risks like misconfiguration and blacklisting. To avoid the lengthy setup process I experienced with my webserver, I decided to try Zoho Mail. Zoho offers a free package for hobbyists, including 5 users and 5GB per mailbox, which sounded perfect. Cloudflare’s email forwarding could be useful for future consolidation but doesn’t support sending emails, so it wasn’t viable for this setup.

Setting Up Zoho Google described Zoho as a versatile business software suite. Their landing page highlighted apps like Secure Email Service, Booking, Helpdesk Software, and Digital Signature tools. I chose the free “Forever Free Plan,” offering 5GB storage per user and a 25MB attachment limit.

Account Creation I registered as the CEO of Dimension51, concerned the free email option might not be available for personal use. After verifying my email, I was prompted to input my domain (dim51.com). I named my organization Dimension51.com and categorized it under “Art, Architecture & Design,” which best fit my vision.

Domain Verification Zoho required domain ownership verification by adding a CNAME record to my DNS settings. Thanks to Cloudflare’s seamless integration, the automatic setup worked instantly. Afterward, I created my first email address: [email protected], and was designated as the “Super Administrator” of the organization.

Initial Impressions I customized my email signature, listing myself as CEO of Dimension51.com. Zoho suggested setting up User Groups, but since I’m the sole user, I skipped this step. A second DNS authentication prompt appeared, previewing changes to my settings. Nervous about affecting existing configurations, I canceled. Fortunately, Zoho confirmed verification anyway.

Testing and Troubleshooting I could send emails but not receive them. Incoming messages returned a Mailer Daemon error citing “access denied.” After research, I realized I had skipped critical verification steps. Zoho’s Directory tool required activation, and my DNS settings needed updating.

Updating DNS Settings I manually updated my MX records as follows:

• Priority: 10, Host: @, Value: mx.zoho.com

• Priority: 20, Host: @, Value: mx2.zoho.com

• Priority: 50, Host: @, Value: mx3.zoho.com

I deleted the old MX records and saved the changes. Now, I’ll wait up to 48 hours for these updates to propagate globally. Until then, email functionality will be limited.

Conclusion This process was a valuable learning experience. Zoho’s service seems well-suited to my needs and should streamline communication for Dimension51.com. I’m optimistic about the outcome once the DNS updates fully propagate. For now, I’ll patiently wait to test the setup further.

UPDATE

It worked, it only took 20 min.