BEGINNER-FRIENDLY GUIDE

Getting Started with Cleanmails

New to self-hosting? No problem. This guide will take you from zero to a fully working email validation system in under 10 minutes. No coding required.

The Basics: What is a VPS?

Think of a VPS (Virtual Private Server) as a computer that stays on 24/7 in a data center. Instead of running Cleanmails on your laptop, you run it on a VPS so it can handle thousands of emails while you sleep.

🌟 Recommendation

We recommend Contabo or DigitalOcean. Choose a plan with at least 4GB RAM and Ubuntu 22.04 as the Operating System.
1

Getting your Tools

Install Putty (Windows Users)

To talk to your VPS, you need a "Terminal". If you are on Windows, Putty is the industry standard.

  • Download Putty from putty.org.
  • Open Putty, enter your VPS IP address, and click Open.
  • When it asks for a login, type root and press Enter.
  • Then type your VPS password (note: characters won't show as you type for security) and press Enter.

🖱️ Pro Tip: How to Paste

In most Terminals (like Putty), you don't use Ctrl + V to paste. Just right-click your mouse once inside the terminal window, and it will automatically paste whatever you copied!
2

The One-Command Setup

Go to your Success Page, or simply use the generator below to create your automated setup command.

AUTO-DEPLOY GENERATOR

Turbo Installer ⚡

Fill in your details to generate your one-click installation command with automatic SSL.

Terminal (Paste & Run)
curl -sSL https://cleanmails.online/install.sh | bash -s -- --key {LICENSE_KEY} --domain {YOUR_DOMAIN}

rDNS Configuration

To ensure emails land in the Inbox, go to your VPS Provider (e.g., Contabo) and set your server's Reverse DNS (PTR) record to exactly:

{YOUR_DOMAIN}

Instructions:

  1. Generate and copy your 1-line command above.
  2. Right-click in your Putty terminal to paste it.
  3. Press Enter.
  4. Sit back. The script will deploy the engine and generate your SSL certificate automatically.
3

Your First Login

Once the script finishes (it takes about 2-5 minutes), it will give you a URL like https://verify.yourdomain.com.

  • Open that URL in your browser.
  • You will see the Initialization Page.
  • Create your Admin account. Important: Write down your password! There is no "Forgot Password" button because your data is private.