10-11-2026, 12:05 PM
Add your email domain to aaPanel Mail Server, then assign the hostname that email clients and receiving servers will use.
Tested lab: Ubuntu 22.04.5, aaPanel Free Edition 8.0.6, Mail Server 7.4.1. We added adminslab.com with the hostname mail.adminslab.com. Replace these examples with your own domain and VPS IP.
1. Prepare the domain and hostname
The mail domain is the part after @ in an address: example.com in [email protected]. The mail hostname is a server name such as mail.example.com. These are different fields. Install and initialize Mail Server first, and sign into the separate aaPanel.com account if the dashboard requests it.
In your DNS provider, create an A record named mail pointing to the VPS public IPv4 address. On Cloudflare, select DNS only for this mail hostname. Wait until a public DNS lookup returns the correct IP before adding the domain. An orange-cloud proxy does not proxy ordinary SMTP or IMAP connections.
2. Open Add Domain
1. Sign into your VPS aaPanel.
2. Select Mail Server in the left menu.
3. Open Mail Domain.
4. Click Add Domain.
5. Select Manual for DNS records when you will manage the records yourself. Automatic mode requires a configured DNS-provider integration; do not assume it is connected.
3. Fill the fields
4. Verify the result
The domain must appear in the Mail Domain table. Check its spelling, quota and mailbox limit. In our lab the new row showed adminslab.com, a 5 GB quota and a limit of 50. No mailbox is created by this operation.
Click DNS Record on the domain row. aaPanel displays the domain-specific MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC values. Use that screen for the next DNS lesson. DKIM keys are unique; never copy another site's key.
Troubleshooting
Next: Configure the required DNS records, create a mailbox and test encrypted connections. This guide ends at successful domain creation.
Screenshot: completed lab domain
![[Image: mail-domain-branded-20261011.png]](https://adminsforum.com/uploads/tutorials/mail-domain-branded-20261011.png)
The screenshot shows the later completed setup: SSL and WebMail are separate follow-up steps.
Tested lab: Ubuntu 22.04.5, aaPanel Free Edition 8.0.6, Mail Server 7.4.1. We added adminslab.com with the hostname mail.adminslab.com. Replace these examples with your own domain and VPS IP.
1. Prepare the domain and hostname
The mail domain is the part after @ in an address: example.com in [email protected]. The mail hostname is a server name such as mail.example.com. These are different fields. Install and initialize Mail Server first, and sign into the separate aaPanel.com account if the dashboard requests it.
In your DNS provider, create an A record named mail pointing to the VPS public IPv4 address. On Cloudflare, select DNS only for this mail hostname. Wait until a public DNS lookup returns the correct IP before adding the domain. An orange-cloud proxy does not proxy ordinary SMTP or IMAP connections.
2. Open Add Domain
1. Sign into your VPS aaPanel.
2. Select Mail Server in the left menu.
3. Open Mail Domain.
4. Click Add Domain.
5. Select Manual for DNS records when you will manage the records yourself. Automatic mode requires a configured DNS-provider integration; do not assume it is connected.
3. Fill the fields
- Domain name: example.com, without https://, a path or an email username.
- A record: mail.example.com, whose A record points to this VPS.
- Domain quota: total storage allowance for the mail domain. Our lab used 5 GB. This is a quota, not disk space reserved automatically.
- Mailboxes: permitted mailbox count. Our lab left the default 50; this is not 50 created users.
- Catch All: leave blank initially. Create a real destination mailbox before configuring catch-all forwarding.
4. Verify the result
The domain must appear in the Mail Domain table. Check its spelling, quota and mailbox limit. In our lab the new row showed adminslab.com, a 5 GB quota and a limit of 50. No mailbox is created by this operation.
Click DNS Record on the domain row. aaPanel displays the domain-specific MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC values. Use that screen for the next DNS lesson. DKIM keys are unique; never copy another site's key.
Troubleshooting
- A record resolution failed: verify the exact hostname, VPS IP, DNS-only setting and public DNS resolution.
- Domain exists: inspect the existing row instead of adding it again.
- SSL Not Set: configure a certificate covering the mail hostname; adding the domain alone does not complete TLS.
Next: Configure the required DNS records, create a mailbox and test encrypted connections. This guide ends at successful domain creation.
Screenshot: completed lab domain
The screenshot shows the later completed setup: SSL and WebMail are separate follow-up steps.