Install mailpit with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, scoop, winget

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• mailpit

Project history

The public GitHub repository was created in July 2022, and the first listed GitHub release, `0.0.1-beta`, was published the same day. The README states that Mailpit was originally inspired by MailHog, which the project identifies as no longer maintained.

Mailpit's development direction is explicit in its official docs: it keeps the one-command local SMTP sink pattern but expands it with a modern UI, API-first integration testing, HTML/link/spam checks, message tagging, webhook support, SMTP relaying and forwarding, optional authentication, and persistent SQLite-backed storage.

Adoption history

Mailpit grew quickly for a young developer tool. Repository metadata shows thousands of GitHub stars by 2026, regular releases through the v1.30 series, and active updates. The README advertises static binaries, Docker images, Homebrew, AUR, and FreeBSD package installation.

The input package-manager facts show broad packaging across Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, Scoop, and Winget. That cross-platform spread matters because email testing tools are often used by mixed teams and in CI systems where a single static binary is easier than a language-specific runtime.

How it is used

The default developer flow is to run `mailpit`, point an application at SMTP port 1025, and open the web UI on port 8025. Tests can use the REST API, while users can add authentication, TLS, POP3, SMTP relay, forwarding, webhooks, and persistent storage through flags or environment variables.

The docs also describe Homebrew service usage, Docker deployment, sendmail substitution, and runtime options. For package users, Mailpit is attractive because it is a single binary with many integration-test affordances that previously required gluing several tools together.

Why package nerds care

Mailpit is significant in package-manager culture as a modern successor-style tool for the local fake-SMTP niche: small enough to install globally, but featureful enough for automated test suites and shared development environments.

It also shows how packaging expectations changed since older tools such as MailCatcher and MailHog: users expect static binaries, Docker images, Homebrew services, Windows package-manager entries, health/API endpoints, and release cadence suitable for CI pinning.

Timeline

• 2022: Repository created and `0.0.1-beta` released.
• 2023: v1.9.x and v1.10.0 releases published.
• 2024: Continued v1.x releases and documentation around static binaries, Docker, and package managers.
• 2026: v1.30.x releases published with active repository updates.

Related projects

• The README explicitly names MailHog as an inspiration and maintenance-gap motivation.
• Mailpit is related to MailCatcher and other fake-SMTP development tools, but emphasizes a single static binary, API support, and modern web UI features.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/axllent/mailpit
• https://api.github.com/repos/axllent/mailpit/releases
• https://github.com/axllent/mailpit
• https://mailpit.axllent.org/docs
• https://mailpit.axllent.org/docs/configuration/runtime-options/
• source_facts.package-manager
• source_facts.repo