Backup MX: a standby mail server so you never lose email
A backup MX is a standby server that receives your domain’s email while your main server is down, under maintenance or unreachable. It keeps the messages encrypted and delivers them automatically as soon as your server is back.
How it works
Your server stops responding
An outage, a power cut, an update gone wrong: servers sending you email turn to the backup MX declared in your DNS.
Your email is kept safe
The backup MX accepts the messages, checks SPF and DKIM, filters spam and viruses, and stores every message encrypted.
Delivered as soon as it is back
It watches your server constantly and delivers all the email as soon as it responds, with no loss and no duplicates.
Why a hosted backup MX?
A standby server installed in the same place as your main server goes down with it: same power cut, same Internet connection. Ours runs on infrastructure separate from yours, and that is what makes it useful.
It is powered by XeronMX, open-source software: you can read its code, and even host it yourself.
Learn more: what a backup MX is for
Backup MX plans
No commitment, 30-day free trial - VAT included.
Starter
30 days free€3 / month
To protect the email of a single domain.
- 1 protected domain
- Receives mail while your server is down
- Automatic delivery as soon as it is back
- Encrypted storage, no loss or duplicates
- Spam and virus filtering on arrival
- Dashboard and connection test
- Support by ticket
Standard
30 days free€9 / month
For a business with several domains or brands.
- Up to 5 protected domains
- Receives mail while your server is down
- Automatic delivery as soon as it is back
- Encrypted storage, no loss or duplicates
- Spam and virus filtering on arrival
- Dashboard and connection test
- Support by ticket
Pro
30 days free€19 / month
For service providers who manage their clients’ domains.
- Up to 25 protected domains
- Receives mail while your server is down
- Automatic delivery as soon as it is back
- Encrypted storage, no loss or duplicates
- Spam and virus filtering on arrival
- Dashboard and connection test
- Priority support by ticket
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to change on my side?
Two DNS records: a TXT record to prove you own the domain, then an MX record pointing to our server, with a higher number than your current MX (for example 20 versus 10). That way your own mail server still receives the email under normal conditions.
Don’t sending servers already retry on their own?
They do, for a few days, then they give up and return an error to the sender. The backup MX accepts the message right away, hands it back as soon as your server returns and shows you what is waiting.
Do you read my email?
No. Your messages are encrypted for as long as they are stored and deleted as soon as they have been delivered to your server. We do not look at them, and any access by an administrator is logged.
What happens if I remove a domain or cancel?
The backup MX first delivers any email it is still holding to your server, then removes the domain. Remember to remove the MX record from your DNS.
Where is the Backup MX server?
In France, with OVH, in the European Union. Messages are stored there encrypted, only until they are delivered to your server.
How long is mail kept?
Until it is delivered to your main server, then it is deleted. A message that could not be delivered within 7 days is deleted, and a non-delivery notice is sent to the sender if it is authenticated (SPF or DKIM).