Bichon
Email archiving server that syncs from IMAP accounts, indexes emails for full-text search, and provides a REST API. No external database required, includes WebUI with multi-account support.
Maintained, but at a slower pace than the leaders in its category.
Commit activity more than 48% of tracked projects; popularity more than 48%. How this is calculated.
Commits, last 11 months
| Stars | 2k |
|---|---|
| Latest release | 2.0.3 · 5 Sept 2026 |
| Repo updated | 27 Sept 2026 |
| Licence | AGPL-3.0 |
| Built with | Rust, Docker |
Is Bichon actively maintained?
Bichon is under active development: 252 commits landed over the last 11 months, averaging roughly 38 commits a month in the most recent quarter.
The most recent tagged release, 2.0.3, shipped within the last month — a current, installable version exists today.
Bichon ranks #11 of 19 in Archiving and Digital Preservation (DP), placing it mid-table for maintenance activity.
What Bichon actually does
Bichon is a self-hosted email archiving server that connects to your existing IMAP accounts to sync and index messages. It provides full-text search capabilities and exposes a REST API alongside a web interface with support for multiple accounts. The system operates without needing an external database.
Best fit: It is well-suited for individuals or small teams who want to maintain an independent, searchable archive of multiple email accounts on their own infrastructure.
Worth knowing: The project relies on the AGPL-3.0 licence, which has strict copyleft implications if you modify and network the software, and it is a niche alternative compared to more established mail archiving solutions.
Deployment notes
As a Docker container implemented in Rust, deployment typically requires mounting a persistent volume for data storage and placing the container behind a reverse proxy to handle TLS termination.
Links
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