Alpine

TUIEmail client

Menu-driven terminal email client descended from Pine, with built-in help, setup screens and native Windows builds.

Alpine is a full-screen email and news client that shows available commands at the bottom of every screen and is configured through built-in setup menus instead of a hand-written file. It reads IMAP, POP3 and NNTP, keeps local mail in mbox-style folders, sends over SMTP, and includes the Pico editor, S/MIME and XOAUTH2 for Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo. It suits users who prefer menus and on-screen command hints over memorized keybindings. The maintained version is developed by Eduardo Chappa.

Type: Email client
Interface: Full-screen terminal interface
Systems: Runs on Linux, macOS, Windows and BSD, on Android through Termux.
Language: C
License: Apache 2.0
Latest version: 2.26
Background: Successor of Pine, continued from the University of Washington Alpine
Maintained: Yes
Website: alpineapp.email
Source: repo.or.cz/alpine.git
Documentation: alpineapp.email

Install

System	Support	Install
Linux	Native	apt`sudo apt install alpine` dnf`sudo dnf install alpine`
macOS	Native	Homebrew`brew install alpine`
Windows	Native	Official ZIP`Download alpine-2.26.zip from https://alpineapp.email/alpine/release/` Official 64-bit and 32-bit Windows builds (PC-Alpine) are published as ZIP files.
BSD	Native	FreeBSD pkg`pkg install alpine` OpenBSD`pkg_add alpine`
Android	Through Termux	Termux`pkg install alpine`

Protocols and features

Protocols
Protocol	Alpine
IMAP	Yes
POP3	Yes
SMTP	Yes
JMAP	No
Maildir	No
mbox	Yes
notmuch	No

Features
Feature	Alpine
OpenPGP	via plugin
S/MIME	Yes
OAuth2 sign-in	Yes
Threads	Yes
Search	built-in search and message selection; server-side for IMAP
HTML mail	built-in HTML-to-text rendering
Mouse	Yes
Multiple accounts	Yes
Offline use	No
Calendar	Yes
Contacts	built-in address book; LDAP lookup
Vim-style keys	No
Configuration	built-in setup screens, stored in .pinerc

Pros and cons

Pros

Command list on every screen and built-in help for each option
Official native Windows builds alongside Unix packages
Built-in XOAUTH2 for Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, and built-in S/MIME

Cons

PGP needs external display and sending filters
No Maildir, notmuch or JMAP support
Last stable release is 2.26; newer work is in alpha builds

Use Alpine with Forward Email

A working setup for a Forward Email mailbox. Replace you@example.com with your alias and the password command with your own. The same settings work with any provider once the server names change.

~/.pinerc

# Forward Email: IMAP over SSL/TLS (993), SMTP over SSL/TLS (465)
# Set these in Setup > Config, or edit ~/.pinerc while Alpine is closed.
# Alpine has no password command; it prompts and can save passwords
# in its encrypted password file.
personal-name=Your Name
user-domain=example.com
customized-hdrs=From: Your Name <you@example.com>
inbox-path={imap.forwardemail.net:993/ssl/user=you@example.com}INBOX
folder-collections=ForwardEmail {imap.forwardemail.net:993/ssl/user=you@example.com}[]
default-fcc={imap.forwardemail.net:993/ssl/user=you@example.com}Sent Mail
postponed-folder={imap.forwardemail.net:993/ssl/user=you@example.com}Drafts
smtp-server=smtp.forwardemail.net:465/ssl/user=you@example.com

Protocol	Server	Port	Security
IMAP	`imap.forwardemail.net`	993	SSL/TLS
POP3	`pop3.forwardemail.net`	995	SSL/TLS
SMTP	`smtp.forwardemail.net`	465	SSL/TLS
SMTP	`smtp.forwardemail.net`	587	STARTTLS

Username: your full alias address, such as you@example.com. Password: the one shown by Generate Password next to the alias in your Forward Email account. Folders: INBOX, Drafts, Sent Mail, Trash, Spam and Archive.

Prefer no config at all? Forward Email's terminal app signs in with your account and has mail, calendar and contacts in one program.

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Questions

Does Alpine work on Windows?

Yes, it runs natively on Windows. Official 64-bit and 32-bit Windows builds (PC-Alpine) are published as ZIP files.

Does Alpine support IMAP?

Yes, Alpine connects to IMAP servers directly.

Is Alpine open source?

Yes, under the Apache 2.0.

How do I use Alpine with Forward Email?

Use the config in the Forward Email section on this page, saved as ~/.pinerc, and replace the address and password with your own.

Sources

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