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table_passwd - format description for smtpd passwd tables

This manual page documents the file format of "passwd" tables used by thesmtpd(8)mail daemon.

The format described here applies to tables as defined insmtpd.conf(5).

A "passwd" table stores information regarding local users.The information is encoded using the traditionalpasswd(5)format and allows the sharing of a user database across different softwaresupporting this format.

The table is used bysmtpd(8)when authenticating a user or when user information such as user-id orhome directory is required for a delivery.

A "passwd" table consists of a flat file containing the user entries, eachone on a line by itself, with fields separated by a colon:

gilles:*:1000:1000:Gilles:/home/gilles:/sbin/nologineric:*:1001:1001:Eric:/home/eric:/sbin/nologinchl:*:1002:1002:Charles:/home/chl:/sbin/nologin

Besides the first username field and depending on the table type, fields areoptional and might be empty.The gecos and the shell field are not used and ignored.

If the table is used for authentication, the second field should contain apassword encrypted using thecrypt(3)function.Such passwords can be generated using theencrypt(1)utility orsmtpctl(8)encrypt command.

If the table is used for user information, user-id, group-id, and homedirectory fields are required.

In favor of supporting shared authentication with the Dovecot Passwd-fileformat, extra fields after the last shell field are allowed (and ignored).

passwd(5),smtpd.conf(5),smtpctl(8),smtpd(8)

The first version oftable_passwdwas written in 2013.It was converted to the stdio table protocol in 2024.

table_passwdwas initially written byGilles Chehade <gilles@poolp.org>and further improved byJoerg Jung <jung@openbsd.org>.The conversion to the stdio table protocol was done byOmar Polo <op@openbsd.org>.

OpenBSD 7.5 - April 4, 2024