https://github.com/rustmailer/bichon

Bichon – A lightweight, high-performance Rust email archiver with WebUI
https://github.com/rustmailer/bichon
backup compression email email-archiver email-archiving imap mail oauth2 openapi rust search self-hosted selfhosted tantivy webui
Last synced: 13 days ago
JSON representation
Bichon – A lightweight, high-performance Rust email archiver with WebUI
Host: GitHub
URL: https://github.com/rustmailer/bichon
Owner: rustmailer
License: agpl-3.0
Created: 2025-11-18T18:02:57.000Z (7 months ago)
Default Branch: main
Last Pushed: 2026-01-14T06:32:38.000Z (5 months ago)
Last Synced: 2026-01-16T20:55:01.130Z (5 months ago)
Topics: backup, compression, email, email-archiver, email-archiving, imap, mail, oauth2, openapi, rust, search, self-hosted, selfhosted, tantivy, webui
Language: TypeScript
Homepage:
Size: 2.12 MB
Stars: 1,058
Watchers: 4
Forks: 31
Open Issues: 24
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Funding: .github/FUNDING.yml
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project

awesome-rust - Bichon - performance Rust email archiver with WebUI (Applications / Emails)
README

          


    



BICHON




  

    

  

  

    

  

  

    

  





  

    

  

  

    

  

  

    

  

  

    

  

  

    

  

  

    

  



A self-hosted email archiving server built in Rust. Download emails from IMAP accounts, builds a full-text search index, and serves a REST API with an embedded WebUI. Purpose-built for long-term preservation, unified cross-account search, and programmatic access to archived email.




  

    

  

  


  ▶ Click to watch the demo



> [!NOTE]

> Bichon is an **archiver**, not an email client. It does not send, compose, forward, or reply to emails. Its optional SMTP server is for **receiving** emails only.

## Contents

- [Features](#features)

- [Quick Start](#quick-start)

  - [Docker (Recommended)](#docker-recommended)

  - [Docker Compose](#docker-compose)

  - [Binary Installation](#binary-installation)

  - [Build from Source](#build-from-source)

- [Configuration Reference](#configuration-reference)

  - [Required Settings](#required-settings)

  - [Server & Networking](#server--networking)

  - [Logging](#logging)

  - [CORS](#cors)

  - [TLS & HTTPS](#tls--https)

  - [SMTP Server](#smtp-server)

  - [Storage Paths](#storage-paths)

  - [Performance Tuning](#performance-tuning)

- [Authentication & RBAC](#authentication--rbac)

- [CLI Tools](#cli-tools)

- [API Reference](#api-reference)

- [Import & Export](#import--export)

- [Architecture](#architecture)

- [Storage & Backup](#storage--backup)

- [Internationalization](#internationalization)

- [Data Migration (v0.x → v1.0)](#data-migration-v0x--v10)

- [FAQ](#faq)

- [Roadmap](#roadmap)

- [Contributing](#contributing)

- [Tech Stack](#tech-stack)

- [License](#license)

## Features

- **Multi-Account IMAP Download**: Download multi-account concurrently. Supports password (PLAIN/LOGIN) and OAuth 2.0 (SASL XOAUTH2) with automatic token refresh and PKCE. SSL/TLS, STARTTLS, or plain connections with optional self-signed certificate acceptance.

- **Incremental Download**: UID-based delta fetching downloads only new messages after the initial download. UIDVALIDITY changes are detected and trigger automatic cache rebuilds.

- **Fetch Scoping**: Filter download by date range, mailbox folder limit, or specific folder names. Configurable per-account SOCKS5 proxy routing.

- **Auto-Configuration**: Discover IMAP server settings automatically from an email domain.

- **Full-Text Search**: Search across subject, body, sender, recipients, attachment properties, and more. Optimized for European languages.

- **Advanced Filters**: Date range, size range, attachment presence, file type, content category, and facet-based tag combinations.

- **Thread Grouping**: Reconstruct and view complete conversation threads across folders.

- **Attachment Search**: Browse and filter attachments by sender, file type, size, and other attachment properties.

- **Faceted Tags**: Add, remove, or overwrite tags on messages and attachments. Filter by tag combinations with real-time count updates.

- **Contacts View**: Extracted and deduplicated sender/recipient address book across all authorized accounts.

- **Three-Layer Storage**: Tantivy for full-text indexing (Zstd compression), Fjall with LZ4 for compressed blob storage, and memdb for relational metadata. All embedded — zero external dependencies.

- **Content Deduplication**: Identical email bodies and attachments stored once via BLAKE3 content hashing. Folder moves update metadata only.

- **Dashboard Analytics**: Email volume trends, top senders, storage usage breakdown, attachment statistics, and per-account activity. Scoped by user permissions.

- **OpenAPI 3.0**: Interactive API documentation at `/api-docs` (Swagger UI, ReDoc, Scalar). All endpoints documented with request/response schemas.

- **Multi-User RBAC**: 5 built-in roles (Admin, Manager, Member, AccountManager, AccountViewer) plus custom roles with 22 granular permissions.

- **Account-Level Isolation**: Grant users access to specific accounts with scoped roles. Permissions enforced at the API layer.

- **CLI Import Tools**: Import from EML directories, MBOX files (including Gmail variants), Thunderbird profiles, and Outlook PST files.

- **CLI Export**: Download account data as MBOX via `bichon-cli`.

- **Bulk Restore**: Restore emails in bulk back to their original IMAP accounts.

- **Embedded SMTP Server**: Receive emails directly at the gateway level. STARTTLS or TLS encryption. AUTH PLAIN/LOGIN with API token authentication.

- **Admin Tooling**: Password reset for locked-out admins. Non-destructive v0.3.7 to v1.0 data migration.

- **API Token Management**: Create, list, and revoke long-lived API tokens for programmatic access.

- **SOCKS5 Proxy Management**: Configure and manage proxy profiles for routing IMAP traffic per account.

## Quick Start

### Docker (Recommended)

```bash

# Pull the image

docker pull rustmailer/bichon:latest

# Create data directory

mkdir -p ./bichon-data

# Run container

docker run -d \

  --name bichon \

  -p 15630:15630 \

  -v $(pwd)/bichon-data:/data \

  --user 1000:1000 \

  -e BICHON_ROOT_DIR=/data \

  -e BICHON_ENCRYPT_PASSWORD=your-secure-password-here \

  rustmailer/bichon:latest

```

Open **[http://localhost:15630](http://localhost:15630)** in your browser.

> [!IMPORTANT]

> Default login: username `admin`, password `admin@bichon`. **Change this immediately** via Settings → Profile.

### Docker Compose

```yaml

services:

  bichon:

    image: rustmailer/bichon:latest

    container_name: bichon

    ports:

      - "15630:15630"

    volumes:

      - ./bichon-data:/data

    user: "1000:1000"

    environment:

      BICHON_ROOT_DIR: /data

      BICHON_ENCRYPT_PASSWORD: your-secure-password-here

      BICHON_LOG_LEVEL: info

```

### Binary Installation

Download from the [Releases](https://github.com/rustmailer/bichon/releases) page:

| Platform | Archive |

|----------|---------|

| Linux (GNU) | `bichon-x.x.x-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz` |

| Linux (MUSL) | `bichon-x.x.x-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz` |

| macOS | `bichon-x.x.x-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gz` |

| Windows | `bichon-x.x.x-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip` |

```bash

# Linux / macOS

./bichon --bichon-root-dir /path/to/data --bichon-encrypt-password your-password

# Windows

.\bichon.exe --bichon-root-dir E:\bichon-data --bichon-encrypt-password your-password

```

`--bichon-root-dir` **must be an absolute path**. All Bichon data lives under this directory.

### Build from Source

**Prerequisites:** Rust (latest stable), Node.js 20+, pnpm

```bash

git clone https://github.com/rustmailer/bichon.git

cd bichon

# Build the WebUI (required before building the server)

cd web && pnpm install && pnpm run build && cd ..

# Build and run

export BICHON_ENCRYPT_PASSWORD=dev-password

cargo run -- --bichon-root-dir /tmp/bichon-data

```

For frontend development:

```bash

cd web && pnpm run dev   # Vite dev server with API proxy to Rust backend

```

> [!TIP]

> The WebUI must be built at least once (`pnpm run build`) for the server to serve the frontend. In dev mode (`pnpm run dev`), Vite proxies API calls to the Rust server automatically.

## Configuration Reference

All settings accept both CLI flags (`--bichon-http-port`) and environment variables (`BICHON_HTTP_PORT`). CLI flags take precedence over environment variables.

### Required Settings

| Variable | CLI Flag | Description |

|----------|----------|-------------|

| `BICHON_ROOT_DIR` | `--bichon-root-dir` | **Required.** Absolute path for all persistent data |

| `BICHON_ENCRYPT_PASSWORD` | `--bichon-encrypt-password` | Password used to encrypt stored credentials (IMAP passwords, OAuth tokens) |

| `BICHON_ENCRYPT_PASSWORD_FILE` | `--bichon-encrypt-password-file` | Alternative: read the encryption password from a file |

> [!NOTE]

> If both password options are set, the direct value takes precedence over the file.

### Server & Networking

| Variable | Default | Description |

|----------|---------|-------------|

| `BICHON_HTTP_PORT` | `15630` | HTTP server port |

| `BICHON_BIND_IP` | `0.0.0.0` | IP address to bind to (IPv4 or IPv6) |

| `BICHON_PUBLIC_URL` | `http://localhost:15630` | Public-facing URL used in OAuth redirects and docs |

| `BICHON_BASE_URL` | `/` | Base path for WebUI when behind a reverse proxy (e.g. `/bichon`) |

| `BICHON_WEBUI_TOKEN_EXPIRATION_HOURS` | `168` | Access token lifetime in hours (default 7 days) |

| `BICHON_HTTP_COMPRESSION_ENABLED` | `true` | Enable gzip/brotli/zstd response compression |

### Logging

| Variable | Default | Description |

|----------|---------|-------------|

| `BICHON_LOG_LEVEL` | `info` | Log level: `trace`, `debug`, `info`, `warn`, `error` |

| `BICHON_ANSI_LOGS` | `true` | Colorized terminal output |

| `BICHON_JSON_LOGS` | `false` | JSON-formatted logs for log aggregators |

| `BICHON_LOG_TO_FILE` | `false` | Persist logs to files under root dir |

| `BICHON_MAX_SERVER_LOG_FILES` | `5` | Max log files to retain |

### CORS

| Variable | Default | Description |

|----------|---------|-------------|

| `BICHON_CORS_ORIGINS` | *(allow all)* | Comma-separated list of allowed origins: `http://192.168.1.16:15630,http://myserver.local:15630` |

| `BICHON_CORS_MAX_AGE` | `86400` | Cache duration for CORS preflight in seconds |

> [!WARNING]

> If `BICHON_CORS_ORIGINS` is **not set**, all origins are allowed. If you set it, only exact matches pass. Wildcards (`*`) are **not supported**. Do not add trailing slashes. When using Docker, avoid wrapping the value in quotes.

### TLS & HTTPS

| Variable | Default | Description |

|----------|---------|-------------|

| `BICHON_ENABLE_REST_HTTPS` | `false` | Serve the API over HTTPS (requires valid certificate) |

### SMTP Server

| Variable | Default | Description |

|----------|---------|-------------|

| `BICHON_ENABLE_SMTP` | `false` | Enable the embedded SMTP receiver |

| `BICHON_SMTP_PORT` | `2525` | SMTP listening port |

| `BICHON_SMTP_ENCRYPTION` | `starttls` | Encryption mode: `none`, `starttls`, or `tls` |

| `BICHON_SMTP_AUTH_REQUIRED` | `true` | Require authentication for SMTP connections |

| `BICHON_SMTP_TLS_KEY_PATH` | — | Absolute path to SMTP TLS private key |

| `BICHON_SMTP_TLS_CERT_PATH` | — | Absolute path to SMTP TLS certificate chain |

### Storage Paths

| Variable | Default | Description |

|----------|---------|-------------|

| `BICHON_INDEX_DIR` | `{root}/bichon-indices` | Tantivy full-text index directory |

| `BICHON_DATA_DIR` | `{root}/bichon-storage` | Fjall blob storage directory |

> [!TIP]

> Place `BICHON_INDEX_DIR` on fast SSD storage for responsive search, and `BICHON_DATA_DIR` on high-capacity HDD for cost-effective blob storage.

> [!IMPORTANT]

> Bichon does NOT support writing data directly to a network file system (NFS, CIFS/SMB, etc.). All directories — `BICHON_ROOT_DIR`, `BICHON_DATA_DIR`, and `BICHON_INDEX_DIR` — must reside on a **local file system**; otherwise, data corruption may occur.

### Performance Tuning

| Variable | Default | Description |

|----------|---------|-------------|

| `BICHON_SYNC_CONCURRENCY` | `num_cpus × 2` | Max concurrent account sync tasks |

| `BICHON_METADATA_CACHE_SIZE` | `134217728` (128 MB) | Metadata DB cache in bytes |

| `BICHON_ENVELOPE_CACHE_SIZE` | `134217728` (128 MB) | Envelope index cache in bytes |

## Authentication & RBAC

### Authentication

1. `POST /api/login` with username + password returns a JWT access token

2. All `/api/v1/*` endpoints require `Authorization: Bearer `

3. Tokens expire after the configured duration (`BICHON_WEBUI_TOKEN_EXPIRATION_HOURS`, default 7 days)

4. Long-lived API tokens can be created via WebUI or API for programmatic access

### Default Admin Account

On first start, Bichon creates a built-in admin user:

- **Username:** `admin`

- **Password:** `admin@bichon`

> [!IMPORTANT]

> **Change the password immediately** via WebUI: Settings → Profile. If locked out, use the `bichon-admin` CLI tool to reset it.

### Built-in Roles

| Role | Type | Scope | Description |

|------|------|-------|-------------|

| **Admin** | Global | Unrestricted | Full system access — users, roles, tokens, all accounts, all data operations |

| **Manager** | Global | ACL-scoped | Create accounts, view users, manage authorized accounts and their data |

| **Member** | Global | Minimal | Basic login access; data access granted through account-level role assignments |

| **AccountManager** | Account | Per-account | Full control over an assigned account — config, sync, data read/write/delete, import, SMTP ingest |

| **AccountViewer** | Account | Per-account | Read-only access to an assigned account's messages and metadata |

### Permission Reference

**Global permissions:**

| Permission | Description |

|------------|-------------|

| `system:access` | Login and access the dashboard |

| `system:root` | Manage system configurations (OAuth providers, proxy settings) |

| `user:manage` | Create, update, and delete users |

| `user:view` | View user list and basic profiles |

| `token:manage` | View and revoke all API tokens |

| `account:create` | Connect new email accounts to the system |

| `account:manage:all` | Manage configurations for all email accounts |

| `data:read:all` | Search and read messages across all accounts |

| `data:manage:all` | Manage tags and metadata for all accounts |

| `data:raw:download:all` | Download raw EML files from any account |

| `data:delete:all` | Permanently delete messages from any account |

| `data:export:batch:all` | Export messages in bulk from all accounts |

**Account-scoped permissions (require ACL assignment):**

| Permission | Description |

|------------|-------------|

| `account:manage` | Modify configuration and sync settings for authorized accounts |

| `account:read_details` | View status and details of authorized accounts |

| `data:read` | Read messages from authorized accounts |

| `data:manage` | Manage tags and metadata for authorized accounts |

| `data:raw:download` | Download raw EML files from authorized accounts |

| `data:delete` | Delete messages from authorized accounts |

| `data:export:batch` | Export messages from authorized accounts |

| `data:import:batch` | Import EML/PST data into authorized accounts |

| `data:smtp:ingest` | Receive and archive emails via SMTP for authorized accounts |

> [!TIP]

> Built-in role permissions are immutable. Create **custom roles** via WebUI (`/users/roles`) or API for any combination of the permissions above.

## CLI Tools

### bichon-cli — Import & Export

```bash

./bichon-cli --config config.toml

```

Creates a `config.toml` on first run with your server URL and API token.

| Operation | Description |

|-----------|-------------|

| **EML Directory** | Recursively scan a directory tree of `.eml` files; preserves folder structure |

| **MBOX** | Stream-import from a single `.mbox` archive (including Gmail's MBOX variant) |

| **Thunderbird** | Import directly from a local Thunderbird profile directory |

| **PST** | Import from Outlook Personal Storage `.pst` files |

| **Export to MBOX** | Download account data as an `.mbox` file |

All imports are processed server-side — the server handles MIME parsing, indexing, deduplication, and storage.

### bichon-admin — Administration

```bash

./bichon-admin

```

Interactive menu with two operations:

| Operation | Description |

|-----------|-------------|

| **Reset Admin Password** | Reset the built-in admin password when locked out |

| **Migrate v0.3.7 → v1.0** | Non-destructive migration from legacy storage layout to v1.0 architecture |

## API Reference

Interactive API documentation is available at:

| Endpoint | UI |

|----------|----|

| `/api-docs/swagger` | Swagger UI |

| `/api-docs/redoc` | ReDoc |

| `/api-docs/scalar` | Scalar |

| `/api-docs/spec.json` | Raw OpenAPI 3.0 JSON |

| `/api-docs/spec.yaml` | Raw OpenAPI 3.0 YAML |

All `/api/v1/*` endpoints require `Authorization: Bearer `.

## Import & Export

### Supported Formats

| Format | Tool | Notes |

|--------|------|-------|

| **EML Directory** | `bichon-cli` | Recursive `.eml` scan; preserves folder hierarchy |

| **MBOX** | `bichon-cli` | Single-file streaming import; supports Gmail's MBOX variant |

| **Thunderbird** | `bichon-cli` | Reads directly from local Thunderbird profile directory |

| **PST** | `bichon-cli` | Outlook Personal Storage (`.pst`) file parsing |

| **API Import** | `POST /api/v1/import` | Base64-encoded EML payloads for programmatic use |

| **MBOX Export** | `bichon-cli` | Download account data as `.mbox` file |

All imports flow through the Bichon REST API. The server parses MIME, extracts metadata, indexes content into Tantivy, deduplicates by BLAKE3 content hash, and stores raw blobs in Fjall.

## Architecture

### Workspace Crates

```

bichon/

├── crates/

│   ├── memdb/         Embedded key-value database layer (WAL, transactions)

│   ├── core/          Library — IMAP sync, search, storage, auth, models

│   ├── server/        Binary — Poem web server + embedded WebUI (rust-embed)

│   ├── cli/           Binary — bichon-cli import/export CLI

│   └── admin/         Binary — bichon-admin password reset & migration

└── web/               React + TypeScript + Vite + ShadCN UI frontend

```

### Three-Layer Storage

```

Request Layer

    REST API (Poem)  │  WebUI (React)

─────────────────────┼────────────────────

Storage Layer         │

                      │

  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐

  │    memdb     │  │   Tantivy    │  │    Fjall     │

  │  (metadata)  │  │  (full-text) │  │   (blobs)    │

  │              │  │              │  │              │

  │ • accounts   │  │ • envelope   │  │ • raw emails │

  │ • users      │  │ • attachment │  │ • attachments│

  │ • roles      │  │ • tags       │  │   LZ4 compr. │

  │ • config     │  │ • contacts   │  │              │

  │ • proxies    │  │   Zstd compr.│  │ BLAKE3 hash  │

  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘

```

- **memdb**: Key-value metadata store. Houses accounts, users, roles, OAuth2 configs, proxy settings, and system configuration. All operations wrapped in `tokio::spawn_blocking`.

- **Tantivy**: Full-text search indices with Zstd compression support. Two separate indices: envelope (email metadata + body text) and attachment (file metadata + extracted text). Batch-committed every 1,000 documents or 60 seconds.

- **Fjall**: LZ4-compressed LSM tree key-value store. Two keyspaces — `email_keyspace` and `attachments_keyspace`. Content-hash addressed (BLAKE3) with insert-time deduplication. Values larger than 1 KB stored as separate files (KV separation).

### IMAP Download Pipeline

```

Schedule tick (every 10s)

        │

        ▼

  reconcile_mailboxes()

  Compare local vs. remote

        │

   ┌────┴────┐

   ▼         ▼

UID OK    UID changed / new

(incremental)  (full rebuild)

   │         │

   ▼         ▼

fetch new   fetch all

(max+1:*)   (1:* batched)

   │         │

   └────┬────┘

        ▼

extract_envelope_and_store_it()

        │

   ┌────┼────┐

   ▼    ▼    ▼

Tantivy Fjall memdb

```

- Per-account background tasks managed by a global download-task singleton

- Concurrency controlled by semaphore (default: `num_cpus × 2`)

- Manual sync via `POST /api/v1/accounts/:id/start-download`; cancel with `cancel-download`

- Busy-check prevents overlapping manual and automatic syncs on the same account

## Storage & Backup

### Data Directory Layout

```

{root}/

├── bichon-indices/         Tantivy full-text index (envelope + attachment)

├── bichon-storage/         Fjall LZ4-compressed blob store

├── memdb/                  Metadata database (accounts, users, roles, config)

├── logs/                   Server logs (when BICHON_LOG_TO_FILE=true)

```

### Backup

Back up the entire `BICHON_ROOT_DIR` (and `BICHON_INDEX_DIR` / `BICHON_DATA_DIR` if overridden). **All three layers must be backed up together** for consistency.

> [!WARNING]

> Do not place `BICHON_ROOT_DIR` or index/data directories directly on network-mounted storage (NFS, SMB, etc.). This can cause index corruption and data loss. Always run Bichon on local storage and use rsync or similar tools to sync to remote destinations.

```bash

# Example with rsync

rsync -avz /path/to/bichon-data/ backup-server:/backups/bichon/

```

### Encryption

Stored credentials (IMAP passwords, OAuth tokens) are encrypted with AES-256-GCM via `ring`. The encryption key is derived from `BICHON_ENCRYPT_PASSWORD`.

> [!NOTE]

> Re-encrypting stored secrets after a password change is not yet supported. If this is a required feature for your use case, please open an issue.

## Internationalization

The WebUI is available in **18 languages**:

| Code | Language | Code | Language |

|------|----------|------|----------|

| `ar` | العربية | `it` | Italiano |

| `da` | Dansk | `jp` | 日本語 |

| `de` | Deutsch | `ko` | 한국어 |

| `en` | English | `nl` | Nederlands |

| `es` | Español | `no` | Norsk |

| `fi` | Suomi | `pl` | Polski |

| `fr` | Français | `pt` | Português |

| `it` | Italiano | `ru` | Русский |

| `zh` | 中文 | `sv` | Svenska |

| `zh-tw` | 繁體中文 | | |

Language preference and UI theme are saved to your user profile and can be changed anytime from the WebUI settings.

## Data Migration (v0.3.7 → v1.0)

Bichon v1.0 introduced a redesigned storage architecture:

| Layer | v0.3.7 (Legacy) | v1.0 |

|-------|---------------|------|

| **Index** | Tantivy (shared) | Tantivy (separate envelope + attachment indices) |

| **Raw data** | Tantivy (inline) | Fjall (LZ4-compressed key-value store) |

| **Metadata** | Tantivy (shared) | memdb (dedicated embedded DB) |

If you ran Bichon prior to v1.0, migrate your data:

```bash

./bichon-admin

# Select "Migrate Legacy v0.3.7 Storage to v1.0"

```

> [!NOTE]

> The migration is **non-destructive** — original v0.3.7 files remain in place and are not modified. You can safely remove them manually after verifying the migration was successful.

## FAQ

### CORS errors when accessing the WebUI

1. Enable debug logging: `BICHON_LOG_LEVEL=debug`

2. Check the server logs for the incoming `Origin` header and configured origins

3. Ensure the browser's exact origin matches an entry in `BICHON_CORS_ORIGINS` (no trailing slash, no wildcards)

4. In Docker, do **not** quote the value: `-e BICHON_CORS_ORIGINS=http://192.168.1.16:15630`

### "Legacy data layout detected" error on startup

Your data was created by Bichon v0.3.7 and must be migrated. Run `./bichon-admin` and select the migration option.

### How do I run Bichon behind a reverse proxy?

Set `BICHON_BASE_URL=/bichon` (or your sub-path) and configure your proxy:

```nginx

# nginx example

location /bichon/ {

    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:15630/;

    proxy_set_header Host $host;

    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;

}

```

### Can Bichon send emails?

No. Bichon is an **archiver**, not an email client. The optional SMTP server **receives** emails only — it cannot send, forward, or reply.

### What hardware does Bichon need?

- **Minimal:** 1 CPU core, 512 MB RAM

- **Recommended (100+ accounts, 200+ GB):** 4+ cores, 2+ GB RAM

- Indices benefit from SSD storage; blob storage can use HDD

### How do I reset the admin password?

```bash

./bichon-admin

# Select "Reset Admin Password"

```

### Where can I get help?

- [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/rustmailer/bichon/issues)

- [Discord](https://discord.gg/Bq4M2cDmF4)

- [Wiki](https://github.com/rustmailer/bichon/wiki)

## Roadmap

- [x] Multi-account IMAP Download (Password + OAuth2)

- [x] Full-text search with faceted tags

- [x] Multi-user support with RBAC and custom roles

- [x] WebUI in 18 languages with dark/light themes

- [x] Dashboard with analytics

- [x] CLI import: EML, MBOX, Thunderbird, PST

- [x] CLI export: MBOX

- [x] Embedded SMTP server

- [x] Data migration tooling (v0.3.7 → v1.0)

- [x] On-demand manual download controls

- [ ] Post-download server cleanup (free remote mailbox space)

- [ ] Account-to-account email merge / migration

- [ ] MCP Server for LLM-powered email search and analysis

- [ ] S3-compatible storage backend

- [ ] Enterprise SSO (OIDC / SAML)

## Contributing

Contributions of all kinds are welcome — code, bug reports, documentation, or feature suggestions.

```bash

git clone https://github.com/rustmailer/bichon.git

cd bichon

# Build WebUI

cd web && pnpm install && pnpm run build && cd ..

# Build backend

cargo build

# Run tests

cargo test

```

> [!IMPORTANT]

> Before implementing a new feature or making significant changes, please **open an issue first** to discuss your idea with the maintainer and ensure it aligns with the project's scope.

Feel free to open an [Issue](https://github.com/rustmailer/bichon/issues) or join the [Discord](https://discord.gg/Bq4M2cDmF4) to discuss ideas.

## Tech Stack

| Layer | Technology |

|-------|-----------|

| **Backend** | Rust, Tokio, Poem + Poem OpenAPI |

| **Full-text search** | Tantivy (Zstd compression) |

| **Blob storage** | Fjall (LSM tree, LZ4 compression, KV separation) |

| **Metadata DB** | memdb (embedded key-value store with WAL) |

| **IMAP** | async-imap, rustls (ring), SOCKS5 proxy support |

| **SMTP** | Embedded receiver (AUTH PLAIN/LOGIN, STARTTLS/TLS) |

| **Cryptography** | AES-256-GCM (ring), BLAKE3 (content hashing) |

| **Frontend** | React 18, TypeScript, Vite 6, ShadCN UI, TanStack Router/Query/Table |

| **Charts** | Recharts |

| **i18n** | i18next (18 languages) |

| **Allocator** | mimalloc |

| **Container** | Ubuntu 24.04, Docker |

## License

Bichon is licensed under the [GNU Affero General Public License v3.0](LICENSE).

Copyright © 2025–2026 [rustmailer.com](https://rustmailer.com)
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