OpenEFA

Hi OpenEFA Community,

Many of you know that the original EFA project has been discontinued, leaving a huge gap for
those of us who need robust, self-hosted email security. That's why we're building OpenEFA
- a modern, AI-powered email security platform that honors the EFA legacy while bringing
next-generation protection.

We Need Your Input

Before we write a single line of installer code, we want YOUR feedback on the design
decisions we've made. We've spent the last week carefully planning an automated installer
that will make OpenEFA deployment dead-simple, but we know the community has diverse needs
and use cases we might have missed.

This is your chance to shape the project before it's built.

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Read the Full Announcement

We've published a complete announcement with our vision and design approach:

Main Announcement:
https://openefa.com/blog/installer-announcement.html

Technical Requirements Document:
https://openefa.com/docs/installer-requirements.html
(Deep dive into all 16 design questions and decisions)

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Design Highlights

Here's what we're planning:

Installation Method

curl -sSL https://install.openefa.com/install.sh | sudo bash

Target Environment

- Primary: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
- Supported: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- Assumption: Clean server/VM dedicated to OpenEFA

Module Tier System

Tier 1 - Core (Always installed):
- SPF/DKIM/DMARC Authentication
- Email Blocking (sender/domain/country)
- RBL Checking (Spamhaus, SpamCop, SORBS)

Tier 2 - Additional (User choice, recommended):
- BEC Detection
- Typosquatting Detection
- DNS Reputation
- Obfuscation Detection
- Marketing Filter
- Funding Spam Detection

Tier 3 - Advanced (Optional, ~500MB):
- NER (Named Entity Recognition with AI)
- Thread Awareness
- Conversation Learning
- Behavioral Baseline
- PDF Analyzer (TOAD/QR phishing)
- URL Reputation
- Compliance Module

Configuration Approach

- Interactive prompts (wizard-style)
- Smart defaults where possible
- Required inputs:
- Primary domain to protect
- Database password
- Admin credentials for web interface
- Relay/destination mail server IP
- DNS resolver IP

Network Architecture

Internet → OpenEFA (spam/phishing filter) → Your EFA/Exchange/Zimbra

Single relay host model (advanced multi-relay scenarios documented separately)

Key Features

- Full rollback on any failure
- Upgrade detection - same script handles fresh install AND upgrades
- Comprehensive logging - every action tracked
- Production ready - all services running after install
- Uninstaller included - clean removal if needed
- Self-signed SSL - HTTPS from day one (upgradable to Let's Encrypt)

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Where We Need YOUR Feedback

Question 1: Deployment Environment

What's your target deployment platform?
- Bare metal server
- Virtual machine (VMware/Hyper-V/Proxmox/KVM)
- Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP/DigitalOcean/Linode)
- Docker/containers (would you prefer this?)
- Other: ___________

Question 2: Current Email Security

What are you migrating from?
- Old EFA 3.x/4.x appliance
- Cloud email security (SilverSky, Proofpoint, Mimecast, etc.)
- No spam filter currently
- Built-in Exchange/Office 365 filtering only
- Other: ___________

Question 3: Scale & Scope

- How many domains will you protect? ___________
- Estimated daily email volume? ___________
- Mailbox count? ___________

Question 4: Technical Comfort Level

- Experienced Linux admin - comfortable with CLI
- Intermediate - can follow detailed instructions
- Beginner - prefer GUI/web-based setup
- Would pay for professional installation service

Question 5: Operating System Preference

Is Ubuntu 24.04/22.04 acceptable, or do you need:
- Ubuntu is perfect
- Debian support needed
- RHEL/Rocky/Alma Linux needed
- Docker containers (OS-agnostic)
- Other: ___________

Question 6: Database Preference

- MariaDB is fine (our default)
- Must have PostgreSQL option
- Don't care as long as it works

Question 7: Module Tier Feedback

Does the 3-tier system make sense?
- Yes, perfect - lets me choose my level
- Confusing - just install everything
- Need more granular control (pick individual modules)
- Other feedback: ___________

Question 8: Most Important Feature

Rank these from 1 (most important) to 6 (least important):
- Easy installation (one command, done)
- AI-powered spam/phishing detection
- Multi-tenant/multi-domain management
- Migration tools from existing systems
- Self-service web interface
- Professional support option

Question 9: Deal Breakers

What would prevent you from using OpenEFA?
- Missing feature: ___________
- OS compatibility: ___________
- Complexity: ___________
- Other: ___________

Question 10: Migration Priority

If migrating from existing EFA, what's most critical?
- Import allow/block lists
- Preserve quarantine
- Zero downtime migration
- Training/documentation
- Other: ___________

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Timeline

- Now - Oct 15: Community feedback period (THIS IS YOUR WINDOW!)
- Oct 16: Design finalization based on feedback
- Oct 17-20: Installer development & testing
- Oct 21: Beta release to early adopters
- Nov 1: v1.0.0 public release

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How to Provide Feedback

Option 1: Reply to this thread with your answers to the questions above

Option 2: Create a detailed post with your specific use case/requirements

Option 3: Comment on the blog announcement:
https://openefa.com/blog/installer-announcement.html

All feedback will be reviewed and considered!

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Discussion Points

Beyond the specific questions, we'd love to hear about:

- Your current pain points with email security
- Features from old EFA you can't live without
- Wish list items EFA never had
- Integration needs (ticketing systems, SIEM, etc.)
- Compliance requirements (HIPAA, PCI, etc.)
- Budget constraints (should we offer hosted option?)

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Our Commitment to You

1. We will read and consider EVERY comment
2. We will respond publicly to all feedback (even if we can't implement it in v1.0)
3. We will publish a decision summary before we start coding
4. We will credit contributors in release notes
5. We will deliver on our timeline (or communicate delays transparently)

This is a community-driven project. OpenEFA succeeds only if it serves YOUR needs.

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What's Already Built

For those wondering about project maturity, we already have:

Core Engine (Production):
- AI-based spam/phishing detection
- BEC (Business Email Compromise) detection
- Typosquatting detection
- PDF phishing analyzer (TOAD detection)
- RBL integration
- Conversation learning system
- Multi-tenant web dashboard
- REST APIs for integration
- Blocking rules management
- Whitelist management

What We're Building Now:
- Automated installer (this discussion!)
- Migration tools
- Documentation
- Community support infrastructure

OpenEFA is NOT vaporware - it's running in production protecting multiple domains RIGHT NOW.
We're just making it accessible to everyone.

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Resources

- Website: https://openefa.com
- Forum: https://forum.openefa.com (you are here!)
- Blog Announcement: https://openefa.com/blog/installer-announcement.html
- Technical Details: https://openefa.com/docs/installer-requirements.html
- Source Code: Will be released with v1.0 under GPL license

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About OpenEFA

OpenEFA is the spiritual successor to the EFA project. When efa-project.org was
discontinued, we realized the community needed a modern, actively-maintained solution. We've
built OpenEFA from the ground up with:

- AI/ML-powered detection (not just SpamAssassin rules)
- Active development (not abandoned)
- Modern architecture (Python 3, REST APIs, web dashboard)
- GPL open source (community-owned, not vendor-locked)
- Production-tested (running live since 2025)

We're committed to keeping email security accessible to everyone - from small businesses to
enterprises.

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Thank You!

Thank you for being part of this community. The original EFA project served us well for over
a decade. Let's build something even better together.

Your input over the next week will shape OpenEFA for years to come. Please take 10 minutes
to share your thoughts.

Feedback deadline: October 15, 2025

Let's do this!

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Read the full details:
https://openefa.com/blog/installer-announcement.html
https://openefa.com/docs/installer-requirements.html

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P.S. - Early Adopter Opportunity

If you're willing to test the installer on a fresh Ubuntu VM when it's ready (~Oct 20),
please reply with "Count me in!" We'll need 5-10 beta testers to shake out bugs before the
public release.

Beta testers get:
- Early access
- Direct support during testing
- Name in credits
- Warm fuzzy feeling of helping the community

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Comments welcome below!