[jedberg]

I ran my own mail server from 1999-2008, starting when I worked at Sendmail. I helped create SPF and DKIM.

I would never run my own mail server today. Deliverability is a nightmare, despite what this article says. Gmail/Hotmail (and all the domains they host for people, which is quite a lot) will pretty much block or silently drop any email that isn't from a large, known provider who has actually talked directly to them.

If you don't have time to be a full-time mail deliverability engineer/product manager, just pay someone to do it for you.

[chappie7]

To be clear, you’re talking about an outgoing mail server. An incoming mail server is pretty trivial to self-host and provides most of the benefits of self-hosting mail. The distinction is often lost in these discussions, which scares off a lot of people who in reality would have no trouble running their own MX.