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Import & Export

Import and Export

WildDuck supports importing email from external sources and exporting messages for backup or migration purposes.

Import from Maildir​

You can use the import-maildir tool to import maildir files straight to the WildDuck database. This has less overhead than IMAP-based imports, and you do not need to know the user's password.

Setup​

git clone https://github.com/nodemailer/import-maildir.git
cd import-maildir
npm install --production

Edit config/default.toml to set the correct MongoDB and Redis connection settings.

Usage​

./bin/import-maildir [email protected]:/var/mail/user_example.com/

Where:

  • user identifier — user ID (24-byte hex), username, or email address (account must already exist in WildDuck)
  • maildir path — path to the maildir folder

Multiple users can be imported in a single command:

./bin/import-maildir [email protected]:/var/mail/user1/ [email protected]:/var/mail/user2/

For multiple users, consider setting the uploaders value to greater than 1 for parallel imports.

Notes​

  • The tool is tested primarily with Courier-based maildir folders
  • Dovecot maildir extensions may not be fully supported
  • No user passwords are needed — the tool writes directly to MongoDB

IMAP-based Import (mbsync)​

For environments where direct database access is not available, you can use mbsync to sync mailboxes from another IMAP server into WildDuck. This is slower than import-maildir due to IMAP protocol overhead and requires user passwords.

See the Migration Guide for detailed mbsync configuration examples.

MBOX Import/Export​

WildDuck supports importing and exporting messages in MBOX format through its API. This is useful for individual mailbox backup and restore operations.