# Persistent SMTP Timeout Issue with Spacemail on Discourse (VPS, Docker) **URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/persistent-smtp-timeout-issue-with-spacemail-on-discourse-vps-docker/383452 **Category:** Support **Created:** [September 21, 2025, 5:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/persistent-smtp-timeout-issue-with-spacemail-on-discourse-vps-docker/383452 "2025-09-21T17:56:30Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 18
### Author: ![supermathie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/supermathie/32/507518_2.png) [@supermathie](https://meta.discourse.org/u/supermathie) #### Post date: [September 24, 2025, 3:25pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/persistent-smtp-timeout-issue-with-spacemail-on-discourse-vps-docker/383452/18 "2025-09-24T15:25:37Z")
> [@errorexee](#): > > My mailbox provider (Spacemail) officially supports only port 465 with SSL for SMTP. However, I have also tested port 587 with STARTTLS as part of troubleshooting (together with support), but the timeout issue still persists. This is (IMO) a misinformed approach on their part due to the absolute mess around port 465. Port 465 (SMTPS) is VERY frequently blocked in VPS environments as an anti-spam measure as it’s the historic port used for MTA-MTA TLS communication. Nowadays it’s been [reassigned](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8314.html) to SUBMISSIONS (SUBMISSION + implicit TLS) but I don’t anticipate VPS providers ever unblocking it due to the fact there will _always_ be MTAs listening for MTA-MTA traffic on this port. Port 587 (SUBMISSION) is explicitly the MUA-MTA mail submission port and is what _should_ be used for authenticated mail submission in combination with STARTTLS. Even so, port 587 is still [sometimes blocked by ill-informed VPS providers](https://x.com/WadeWegner/status/1911894027408121920). Notwithstanding my rant about this, I see you _can_ connect to that port, so what happens if you manually send mail from the VPS and from the container via port 465? --- _[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/persistent-smtp-timeout-issue-with-spacemail-on-discourse-vps-docker/383452)._