How to Install SquirrelMail on Alpine Linux Latest

SquirrelMail is an open-source web-based email client that allows you to access your email from anywhere with an internet connection. In this tutorial, we will explain how to install SquirrelMail on Alpine Linux Latest.

Prerequisites

Before installing SquirrelMail on your Alpine Linux system, ensure that you have the following:

A running Alpine Linux Latest system.
Sudo or root user access to the system.
A stable internet connection.

Step 1: Install Apache Web Server

Apache is the most widely used web server that supports SquirrelMail. You can install Apache using the following command:

sudo apk add apache2

Once the Apache2 installation is complete, start and enable the Apache2 webserver using the commands:

sudo rc-service apache2 start
sudo rc-update add apache2

Step 2: Install PHP

SquirrelMail is a PHP-based application; therefore, you need to install PHP and its extensions. Use the following command to install PHP:

sudo apk add php7 php7-apache2 php7-iconv php7-imap php7-openssl php7-mbstring php7-session

Step 3: Download SquirrelMail

Download the latest SquirrelMail release from the official website https://squirrelmail.org.

cd /tmp
wget https://squirrelmail.org/download.php -O squirrelmail.tar.gz --no-check-certificate

Step 4: Extract SquirrelMail

Extract the downloaded SquirrelMail package using the following command:

sudo tar -zxvf squirrelmail.tar.gz -C /var/www/localhost/htdocs/

Step 5: Configure SquirrelMail

Navigate to the SquirrelMail directory and configure SquirrelMail using the following command:

cd /var/www/localhost/htdocs/squirrelmail
sudo ./configure

Step 6: Secure Configuration

SquirrelMail requires specific PHP configurations to be secured:

sudo sed -i 's/.*session.auto_start =.*/session.auto_start = Off/g' /etc/php7/php.ini
sudo sed -i '/disable_functions/ s/^;/;/' /etc/php7/php.ini

Step 7: Configure Apache Web Server for SquirrelMail

Create an Apache virtual host file for SquirrelMail. Run the following command to create the squirrelmail.conf file:

sudo vim /etc/apache2/conf.d/squirrelmail.conf

Add the following lines to the squirrelmail.conf file:

Alias /squirrelmail /var/www/localhost/htdocs/squirrelmail
<Directory /var/www/localhost/htdocs/squirrelmail>
   Options FollowSymLinks
   DirectoryIndex index.php
   Require all granted
</Directory>

Restart the Apache webserver to apply changes:

sudo rc-service apache2 restart

Step 8: Access SquirrelMail

Open your web browser and enter your server's IP address or hostname and /squirrelmail as the URL (for example, http://192.168.0.100/squirrelmail or http://yourhostname.com/squirrelmail).

You will see the SquirrelMail login page; use your email address and password to login and access your email.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed SquirrelMail on Alpine Linux Latest. You can now access your emails on the go by logging in to your SquirrelMail installation through any browser.