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sidebar_label: "Postfix"
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# Postfix


<img src="https://netdata.cloud/img/postfix.svg" width="150"/>


Plugin: go.d.plugin
Module: postfix

<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/maintained%20by-Netdata-%2300ab44" />

## Overview

This collector retrieves statistics about the Postfix mail queue using the [postqueue](https://www.postfix.org/postqueue.1.html) command-line tool.


It periodically executes the `postqueue -p` command. The collection interval is set to 10 seconds by default, but this can be configurable.


This collector is supported on all platforms.

This collector only supports collecting metrics from a single instance of this integration.

Postfix has internal access controls for the mail queue. By default, all users can view the queue. If your system has stricter controls, grant the `netdata` user access by adding it to `authorized_mailq_users` in the `/etc/postfix/main.cf `file. For more details, refer to the `authorized_mailq_users` setting in the [Postfix documentation](https://www.postfix.org/postconf.5.html).


### Default Behavior

#### Auto-Detection

The collector executes  `postqueue -p` to get Postfix queue statistics.

#### Limits

The default configuration for this integration does not impose any limits on data collection.

#### Performance Impact

The default configuration for this integration is not expected to impose a significant performance impact on the system.


## Metrics

Metrics grouped by *scope*.

The scope defines the instance that the metric belongs to. An instance is uniquely identified by a set of labels.



### Per Postfix instance

These metrics refer to the entire monitored application.


This scope has no labels.

Metrics:

| Metric | Dimensions | Unit |
|:------|:----------|:----|
| postfix.qemails | emails | emails |
| postfix.qsize | size | KiB |



## Alerts

There are no alerts configured by default for this integration.


## Setup

### Prerequisites

No action required.

### Configuration

#### File

The configuration file name for this integration is `go.d/postfix.conf`.


You can edit the configuration file using the `edit-config` script from the
Netdata [config directory](/docs/netdata-agent/configuration/README.md#the-netdata-config-directory).

```bash
cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config go.d/postfix.conf
```
#### Options

The following options can be defined globally: update_every.


<details open><summary>Config options</summary>

| Name | Description | Default | Required |
|:----|:-----------|:-------|:--------:|
| update_every | Data collection frequency. | 10 | no |
| binary_path | Path to the `postqueue` binary. If an absolute path is provided, the collector will use it directly; otherwise, it will search for the binary in directories specified in the PATH environment variable. | /usr/sbin/postqueue | yes |
| timeout | Timeout for executing the binary, specified in seconds. | 2 | no |

</details>

#### Examples

##### Custom binary path

The executable is not in the directories specified in the PATH environment variable.

<details open><summary></summary>

```yaml
jobs:
  - name: custom_path
    binary_path: /usr/local/sbin/postqueue

```
</details>



## Troubleshooting

### Debug Mode

**Important**: Debug mode is not supported for data collection jobs created via the UI using the Dyncfg feature.

To troubleshoot issues with the `postfix` collector, run the `go.d.plugin` with the debug option enabled. The output
should give you clues as to why the collector isn't working.

- Navigate to the `plugins.d` directory, usually at `/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/`. If that's not the case on
  your system, open `netdata.conf` and look for the `plugins` setting under `[directories]`.

  ```bash
  cd /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/
  ```

- Switch to the `netdata` user.

  ```bash
  sudo -u netdata -s
  ```

- Run the `go.d.plugin` to debug the collector:

  ```bash
  ./go.d.plugin -d -m postfix
  ```

### Getting Logs

If you're encountering problems with the `postfix` collector, follow these steps to retrieve logs and identify potential issues:

- **Run the command** specific to your system (systemd, non-systemd, or Docker container).
- **Examine the output** for any warnings or error messages that might indicate issues.  These messages should provide clues about the root cause of the problem.

#### System with systemd

Use the following command to view logs generated since the last Netdata service restart:

```bash
journalctl _SYSTEMD_INVOCATION_ID="$(systemctl show --value --property=InvocationID netdata)" --namespace=netdata --grep postfix
```

#### System without systemd

Locate the collector log file, typically at `/var/log/netdata/collector.log`, and use `grep` to filter for collector's name:

```bash
grep postfix /var/log/netdata/collector.log
```

**Note**: This method shows logs from all restarts. Focus on the **latest entries** for troubleshooting current issues.

#### Docker Container

If your Netdata runs in a Docker container named "netdata" (replace if different), use this command:

```bash
docker logs netdata 2>&1 | grep postfix
```


