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Install SpamAssassin from your Linux distribution, install the spamc client, refresh its rules with sa-update, then run the spamd daemon and connect your mail transfer agent (MTA) to it. Debian and Ubuntu normally use apt-get; Fedora, CentOS and Red Hat use the RPM package manager; Gentoo uses Portage. On a Debian VPS, the packaged daemon is disabled until you enable its service, and SpamAssassin does not reload new rules automatically after sa-update.
This guide covers package and source installations, rule maintenance, /etc/spamassassin/local.cf, the spamd/spamc service pair, Postfix integration, safe testing and rollback.
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Use the distribution package unless you have a specific reason to compile SpamAssassin yourself. Packages supply dependencies, service files and upgrade paths that are easier to maintain on a server. A source build gives you control over the release and build options, but you must create or adapt the service definition, maintain dependencies and plan upgrades yourself.
| VPS distribution | Package command | Operational notes |
|---|---|---|
| Debian or Ubuntu | sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install spamassassin spamc |
The Debian package daemon is disabled by default. Check the service unit supplied by the exact release before enabling it. |
| Fedora, CentOS or Red Hat | yum install spamassassin |
Use the package manager and service unit provided by your particular release; names can differ between versions. |
| Gentoo | emerge mail-filter/spamassassin |
Portage handles the package, while service startup and MTA integration still need to be configured for the VPS. |
| Any supported Unix-like system requiring a custom build | perl Makefile.PLmakemake install |
A source installation requires a deliberate service definition, update-directory ownership and an upgrade and rollback procedure. |
The commands above install the scanner itself. Your mail server still needs to invoke it, normally through the daemon/client pair described below.
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Prepare the VPS before installing
- Log in with an account that can use
sudo, or use a root shell only where the package instructions require it. - Confirm which MTA handles mail. The integration steps differ for Postfix, Exim and other mail systems; the examples here focus on Postfix.
- Record the current mail-service configuration and make a backup before adding a content filter. A filtering mistake can interrupt delivery or discard valid mail.
- Identify the exact distribution release and inspect its package README or systemd unit. Do not assume that a service name copied from another release exists on your VPS.
- Decide whether SpamAssassin should tag suspected spam for later handling or whether your policy will reject it. Start with non-destructive tagging while you verify scoring and false positives.
Install SpamAssassin on Debian or Ubuntu
1. Refresh package metadata and install both components
- Update the APT package index:
sudo apt-get update - Install SpamAssassin and its lightweight client:
sudo apt-get install spamassassin spamc
The separate spamc package matters because the MTA should normally send messages to the already-running spamd daemon instead of starting the full scanner for every message.
2. Inspect the packaged service
Debian documents that its SpamAssassin daemon is disabled by default. Find the unit installed on the target release and read the package documentation before enabling it. On releases that provide the standard unit, the enable operation is:
sudo systemctl enable spamassassin
If your release uses a different unit name, substitute that exact name. Enabling a service makes it start during boot; it does not necessarily start it in the current session.
3. Start it and check its state
Start the unit supplied by the package, then inspect its status and recent log output. A healthy result should show an active spamd process and no immediate configuration or permission error. Confirm that it is listening locally before wiring Postfix to it. Keep the service local unless you have a documented reason to expose a scanner socket or port to another host.
Install on Fedora, CentOS or Red Hat
- Use the package manager supported by the target release. The SpamAssassin project lists:
yum install spamassassin - Accept the package’s dependency transaction and note the files and service unit it installs.
- Inspect the unit and package documentation, then enable and start the daemon with that release’s service manager.
- Check the service status and logs. Verify that the daemon is available locally before changing the MTA configuration.
Some newer RPM-based releases use a package-manager command other than yum, but the important requirement is to use the release’s supported package and service definitions rather than mixing commands from a different distribution.
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Install on Gentoo
- Install the Portage package:
emerge mail-filter/spamassassin - Review the files and init or systemd integration selected by your Gentoo profile.
- Enable and start the supplied daemon using the service mechanism configured on the VPS.
- Confirm the process, local socket or listening endpoint, and logs before connecting the MTA.
Build SpamAssassin from source
Compile from source only when the distribution package cannot meet a version, patch or build-option requirement. Apache’s documented sequence is:
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- Extract the SpamAssassin release archive and enter the resulting
Mail-SpamAssassin-*directory. - Run the Perl configuration step:
perl Makefile.PL - If SSL support is required for your installation, pass the documented option:
perl Makefile.PL ENABLE_SSL=yes - Compile the software:
make - Install it with the privileges required by the selected installation prefix:
make install
A source install does not remove the operational work. Create a service definition that starts spamd with the intended user and paths, decide where rules and logs live, and document how a future release will replace the current one. Make sure the account running updates owns, or can safely write to, the update directories. Keep the previous build available until the new daemon and MTA path have passed testing.
Refresh SpamAssassin’s rules with sa-update
Run the updater after installation so the scanner has the current rule channels configured for your package:
sa-update
The updater should match the SpamAssassin modules installed on the VPS. Apache’s documentation also emphasizes safe ownership of the update directories. Do not blindly run recurring updates as root when the package provides a dedicated SpamAssassin account; use the normal account expected by the package and verify that it can write the update locations.
sa-update installs new rules but does not restart spamd or make the running daemon reload the new ruleset automatically. After a successful update, explicitly reload or restart the daemon using the service unit on your release. Then inspect the service status and log for syntax, permission or rule-loading errors. Schedule the update and the corresponding reload together if you automate this operation.
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Configure site policy in /etc/spamassassin
Debian uses /etc/spamassassin for site-specific configuration. A common local policy file is:
/etc/spamassassin/local.cf
- Back up the existing configuration before editing it.
- Open
local.cfwith your preferred editor and make one policy change at a time. - Review the file for syntax errors before restarting or reloading
spamd. - Check the daemon status and logs after each change.
Policy choices typically include whether to rewrite the subject, which networks are trusted, how scores are interpreted, and whether mail is tagged or rejected. A copied example’s score is not a universal safe rejection threshold: evaluate it against your users, legitimate senders and delivery requirements.
Understand the Debian defaults
Debian documents a default spam threshold of 5.0. Messages scoring 5.0 or higher are tagged as spam under that default policy. Debian also documents preservation of the original message as a message/rfc822 attachment in the generated report. Treat these as package defaults, not as a complete mail-handling policy; inspect the resulting headers and decide how downstream filtering should act.
Use spamd and spamc as a pair
spamd is the background daemon. It keeps the scanner available so it can handle multiple messages without paying the full startup cost for every delivery. spamc is the lightweight client: it sends a message to spamd and returns the processed result to the calling mail program.
| Invocation model | How it works | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
Direct spamassassin invocation |
The full scanner is started for each call, adding process startup overhead. | Occasional manual checks or troubleshooting, not the normal high-volume MTA path. |
spamd plus spamc |
The daemon remains available; the client submits each message and receives the result. | Normal mail-server integration, where repeated messages and concurrent delivery make a persistent service more efficient. |
The MTA should invoke spamc, while the service manager keeps spamd running. If spamc cannot connect, check that the daemon is active, that both sides use compatible paths and users, and that a local socket or port has not been blocked by a permission or service change.
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Connect SpamAssassin to Postfix
Postfix integration adds a content-filter path and a pipe service. Debian’s example invokes /usr/bin/spamc for scanning and then /usr/sbin/sendmail to return the processed message to the mail system. Exact Postfix syntax, service names and user names depend on the package and release, so adapt the distribution’s example to the paths installed on your VPS rather than pasting a configuration from another system.
- Back up
main.cf,master.cfand any transport or filter files you will change. - Confirm the installed paths for
spamcand the Postfix-compatiblesendmailcommand. The Debian example uses/usr/bin/spamcand/usr/sbin/sendmail. - Add the content-filter definition and pipe service from the package documentation, assigning the least-privileged account that can perform the scan and reinjection.
- Ensure the reinjected message cannot loop back through the same filter indefinitely. Follow the package example’s user and service arguments, and verify the return path before enabling it for all mail.
- Reload Postfix after the configuration validates. A typical service operation is a Postfix reload through your distribution’s service manager; use the exact unit on the VPS.
- Send a non-destructive test message, inspect its headers for SpamAssassin results, and confirm that it leaves the queue and reaches the intended mailbox.
Keep a rollback path while testing. If messages remain queued, bounce between filter services, or disappear, disable the new content-filter path, restore the backup and reload Postfix before investigating further. Do not turn on automatic rejection until tagging, reinjection and ordinary delivery have all been verified.
Verify the installation without risking mail
Check the service layer
- Confirm that the SpamAssassin unit is enabled if it should start at boot.
- Confirm that
spamdis active after a restart or rule reload. - Read the service log for rule-loading, permission and configuration errors.
- Check that the local endpoint used by
spamcis available to the account running the MTA.
Check the scanner result
Send a normal test message through the same Postfix route used by production mail. Inspect the delivered headers for SpamAssassin’s result and score, and verify that the original content is still present. Use a message that should be treated as ordinary mail first; this confirms the filter does not reject or corrupt legitimate traffic.
Check the queue and reinjection path
Watch the Postfix queue while the test is processed. A successful path receives the message once, submits it to spamc, reinjects the result and delivers it without repeated filter passes. If the queue grows, inspect the Postfix log and SpamAssassin service log together so you can distinguish a connection failure from a Postfix routing loop.
Troubleshoot common failures
The service will not start
Read the unit status and journal first. Common causes are a syntax error in local.cf, an incorrect path after a source install, an unavailable update directory or a service name copied from another release. Revert the last configuration change, correct ownership and paths, then restart the exact unit installed on the VPS.
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spamc cannot connect to spamd
Verify that spamd is running and that the client and daemon agree on the local socket or port. Check permissions for the MTA’s service account and ensure a local firewall or system policy has not blocked the endpoint. Do not expose the daemon publicly merely to make the connection work; fix the local service path instead.
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Rules changed but results did not
Run sa-update with the package’s intended SpamAssassin account, verify that it completed successfully, and explicitly reload or restart spamd. The updater alone does not make a running daemon load the new rules.
Mail is delayed or lost after Postfix integration
Stop the filter path or restore the backed-up Postfix files, reload Postfix, and confirm that ordinary mail flows without SpamAssassin. Then inspect the pipe command, service account, reinjection command and loop-prevention settings one at a time. Debian specifically warns that integration mistakes can lose valid mail, which is why rollback and non-destructive tests should precede production enforcement.
Package installation versus a source build
| Decision factor | Distribution package | Source build |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrades | Uses the distribution’s update and security workflow. | You own version tracking, rebuilds and replacement of the installed files. |
| Dependencies | Package metadata resolves the distribution’s expected dependencies. | You must provide compatible Perl modules and build prerequisites. |
| Service integration | Usually includes a service unit and package-specific defaults, although you must inspect them. | You must create and maintain the service definition and runtime paths. |
| Rule-update ownership | The package documents the expected SpamAssassin account and update directories. | You must choose and secure the account and directories yourself. |
| Rollback | Reinstalling or reverting a package is normally straightforward through the package manager. | Keep the previous build and configuration so you can restore them deliberately. |
For most Linux VPS administrators, the package path is the safer default. Choose source only when the package’s version or build options are inadequate and you are prepared to operate the additional service and upgrade work.
Quick Recap
Operational checklist
- Install the package and the
spamcclient where your distribution separates them. - Enable and start the packaged
spamdservice using the exact unit supplied by your release. - Run
sa-updatewith the intended SpamAssassin account and verify update-directory ownership. - Reload or restart
spamdafter every successful rule update. - Keep site policy in
/etc/spamassassin, normally/etc/spamassassin/local.cfon Debian. - Start with tagging and observation; review the Debian default threshold of 5.0 before considering rejection.
- Connect Postfix through
spamc, protect against reinjection loops and preserve a rollback configuration. - Test headers, queue behavior and ordinary delivery before enabling the filter for all production mail.
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