First Run & Admin Setup

Your instance is running and reachable over HTTPS. Now let's claim it.

The initial admin account

When the API starts with an empty database, it creates one administrator:

Field	Value
Username	`admin`
Email	`admin@delivr.local` (placeholder — change it)
Password	none — set it with a one-time link

Instead of printing a default password, Delivr generates a one-time password-reset link. It's written to the API log and to a file in the config directory (readable only by its owner):

sudo docker compose logs delivr-api | grep reset-password
sudo cat ./config/initial_admin_password_reset_token.txt

sudo journalctl -u delivr-api | grep reset-password
sudo cat /opt/delivr/api/config/initial_admin_password_reset_token.txt

The link looks like https://mail.example.com/auth/reset-password?token=….

The link is valid for 7 days and works once. Treat it like a password: anyone who has it can take over the admin account. Once you've used it, delete the file.

Set the admin password

Open the link, choose a strong password, and sign in as admin.

Replace the placeholder email address

Go to Settings → General and change the email address from admin@delivr.local to a real one (you'll confirm with your current password). Password-reset emails for the admin go to this address.

Delete the setup file

sudo rm ./config/initial_admin_password_reset_token.txt                 # Docker
sudo rm /opt/delivr/api/config/initial_admin_password_reset_token.txt   # systemd

Link expired before you used it? On a brand-new instance with no data yet, stop the API, delete the database file (data/db.sqlite), and start again. Delivr creates a fresh admin account with a new link.

Create user accounts

Delivr is a multi-user instance. Administrators create accounts for everyone else:

Open Admin → Users in the sidebar.
Create a user with a username, display name, email address, and an initial password (at least 8 characters).
Choose the role: User for regular accounts, Admin for people who manage the instance.
Share the credentials securely. Users can change their password under Settings → Security.

See Administration for the full set of admin tools.

Connect the first mailbox

Each user connects their own mail accounts — Delivr doesn't need access to your mail server in advance.

After signing in for the first time, Delivr walks you through a short onboarding.
Add a mail account with its IMAP (incoming) and SMTP (outgoing) settings. The Mail Provider Settings page lists the values for popular providers.
Confirm which folders are your Sent, Drafts, Trash, Spam, and Archive folders. Delivr detects them automatically and asks you to check.

That's it — your inbox loads. The User Guide covers everything from there.

Recommended next steps

Enable system email. Configure the DLA_SMTP_* variables so users can reset forgotten passwords themselves.
Install the app. Open Delivr on your phone and desktop and install it as a PWA.
Harden the instance. Walk through the Production Hardening checklist.
Set up backups. See Updates & Backups.