mail-0/zero

★ 10,548TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5Setup · hard

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((zero email))
    Core features
      Unified inbox
      Gmail Outlook
      AI features
    Privacy
      Self-hosted
      No data tracking
      Open source
    Tech stack
      Next.js React
      PostgreSQL
      Docker
    Setup
      Google OAuth
      pnpm
      env config

mindmap root((zero email)) Core features Unified inbox Gmail Outlook AI features Privacy Self-hosted No data tracking Open source Tech stack Next.js React PostgreSQL Docker Setup Google OAuth pnpm env config

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Self-host a privacy-respecting email client on your own server so your email data never passes through a third-party service

USE CASE 2

Combine multiple Gmail and Outlook accounts into a single unified inbox with AI-assisted features

USE CASE 3

Extend the open-source codebase with custom integrations and email workflow automations

USE CASE 4

Use it as a foundation for building a privacy-focused email product or SaaS application

Tech stack

TypeScriptNext.jsReactNode.jsPostgreSQLDocker

Getting it running

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

Requires creating a Google Cloud Console OAuth app with two enabled APIs, also needs Docker, pnpm, and a running PostgreSQL instance.

In plain English

Zero is an open-source email application built as an alternative to Gmail and similar services. Its main emphasis is privacy: the project states it does not track, collect, or sell user data in any way. Because the source code is publicly available, anyone can inspect how the application works and verify those claims for themselves. The application connects to external email providers like Gmail and Outlook through their official APIs and presents all of your accounts together in a single unified inbox. It also includes AI features described as agents and language model integrations, though the README focuses more on setup instructions than on what the AI capabilities actually do in practice. The project is self-hosted, meaning you run the application on your own server or computer rather than accessing it through a shared service. That gives you full control over where your email data is stored and processed. The technology stack is built on Next.js and React for the user interface, with a Node.js backend, PostgreSQL for storing application data, and standard authentication through Google OAuth. Setting it up locally requires installing Node.js, a package manager called pnpm, and Docker (a tool that runs software in isolated containers). The setup process involves cloning the repository, running a helper command to configure environment variables, starting a local database container, and then launching the development server. Connecting Gmail specifically requires creating credentials in Google Cloud Console, which involves enabling two APIs and setting up an OAuth application, a process the README walks through step by step. Optional integrations mentioned in the setup section include a service called Autumn for encryption and Twilio for SMS functionality. Both require creating accounts with those third-party services and adding API keys to a configuration file. The project welcomes contributions and has a community Discord server. It is positioned as a developer-friendly foundation that others can extend with additional integrations and customizations.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Help me set up mail-0/zero locally using Docker and pnpm, walk me through the environment variable setup and connecting my Gmail account via Google OAuth.

Prompt 2

Using the mail-0/zero codebase, help me add a custom integration that automatically labels incoming emails from a specific domain.

Prompt 3

Help me configure the Google Cloud Console OAuth credentials required by mail-0/zero, including which APIs to enable and how to set the redirect URI.

Prompt 4

Walk me through deploying mail-0/zero to a Linux VPS with a custom domain so I can use it as my daily email client.

Prompt 5

Help me understand the Next.js and PostgreSQL architecture of mail-0/zero so I can add a feature that snoozes emails until a chosen time.

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