This page on floating IPs, and others like it, explicitly say “Floating IPs do not support SMTP traffic”. The only reason I use a floating IP is for SMTP. Consider, we get a droplet from DO that has already been abused by a previous client who setup a mail server for spam. The IP is on a blacklist and we need to go around begging the listkeepers to remove the IP address. Now we have a clean IP and run for some period of time without issues. Then let’s say the droplet dies and we need to replace it. If we need to get a new IP then we may need to repeat the pain of getting off of lists. But if the mail server is run on a floating IP we can re-use that same IP and there’s no related grief!
So, is there a way to prove to DO that I’m not a bad actor so that I can run SMTP on a floating IP? I have a valid mail server already in use. No black marks on my domains. I just want to port from a competitor DO, do this dance with a DO IP just once, and then have that small peace of mind if things go south.
And yes, all of this is based on experience, not conjecture. Thanks!
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We usually do not recommend running your own mail server and recommend to utilize mail relay services such as SendGrid or MailChimp. This article could provide some insights on why we say that: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/why-you-may-not-want-to-run-your-own-mail-server
With respect to restriction on SMTP traffic over floating IP - this limitation is with implementation and this could not be altered at this time even though you prove that you don’t spam. We are sorry for this limitation.
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