# Zero
[](https://vercel.com/new/clone?repository-url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fnizzyabi%2FMail0&env=DATABASE_URL,BETTER_AUTH_SECRET,BETTER_AUTH_URL,BETTER_AUTH_TRUSTED_ORIGINS,GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID,GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET,GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI,GITHUB_CLIENT_ID,GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET,GITHUB_REDIRECT_URI&envDescription=For%20more%20info%20on%20setting%20up%20your%20API%20keys%2C%20checkout%20the%20Readme%20below&envLink=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fnizzyabi%2FMail0%2Fblob%2Fmain%2FREADME.md&project-name=0&repository-name=0&redirect-url=0.email&demo-title=0&demo-description=An%20open%20source%20email%20app&demo-url=0.email)
An Open-Source Gmail Alternative for the Future of Email
## What is Zero?
Zero is an open-source AI email solution that gives users the power to **self-host** their own email app while also integrating external services like Gmail and other email providers. Our goal is to modernize and improve emails through AI agents to truly modernize emails.
## Why Zero?
Most email services today are either **closed-source**, **data-hungry**, or **too complex to self-host**.
0.email is different:
- ✅ **Open-Source** – No hidden agendas, fully transparent.
- 🦾 **AI Driven** - Enhance your emails with Agents & LLMs.
- 🔒 **Data Privacy First** – Your emails, your data. Zero does not track, collect, or sell your data in any way. Please note: while we integrate with external services, the data passed through them is not under our control and falls under their respective privacy policies and terms of service.
- ⚙️ **Self-Hosting Freedom** – Run your own email app with ease.
- 📬 **Unified Inbox** – Connect multiple email providers like Gmail, Outlook, and more.
- 🎨 **Customizable UI & Features** – Tailor your email experience the way you want it.
- 🚀 **Developer-Friendly** – Built with extensibility and integrations in mind.
## Tech Stack
Zero is built with modern and reliable technologies:
- **Frontend**: Next.js, React, TypeScript, TailwindCSS, Shadcn UI
- **Backend**: Node.js, Drizzle ORM
- **Database**: PostgreSQL
- **Authentication**: Better Auth, Google OAuth
## Getting Started
### Prerequisites
**Required Versions:**
- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en/download) (v18 or higher)
- [pnpm](https://pnpm.io) (v10 or higher)
- [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/) (v20 or higher)
Before running the application, you'll need to set up services and configure environment variables. For more details on environment variables, see the [Environment Variables](#environment-variables) section.
### Setup Options
You can set up Zero in two ways:
Option 1: Standard Setup (Recommended)
#### Quick Start Guide
1. **Clone and Install**
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Mail-0/Zero.git
cd Zero
# Install dependencies
pnpm install
# Start database locally
pnpm docker:up
```
2. **Set Up Environment**
- Copy `.env.example` to `.env` in project root
```bash
cp .env.example .env
```
- Configure your environment variables (see below)
- Setup cloudflare with `pnpm run cf-install`, you will need to run this everytime there is a `.env` change
- Start the database with the provided docker compose setup: `pnpm docker:up`
- Initialize the database: `pnpm db:push`
3. **Start the App**
```bash
pnpm dev
```
4. **Open in Browser**
Visit [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000)
### Environment Setup
1. **Better Auth Setup**
- Open the `.env` file and change the BETTER_AUTH_SECRET to a random string. (Use `openssl rand -hex 32` to generate a 32 character string)
```env
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=your_secret_key
```
2. **Google OAuth Setup** (Required for Gmail integration)
- Go to [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com)
- Create a new project
- Add the following APIs in your Google Cloud Project: [People API](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/people.googleapis.com), [Gmail API](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/gmail.googleapis.com)
- Use the links above and click 'Enable' or
- Go to 'APIs and Services' > 'Enable APIs and Services' > Search for 'Google People API' and click 'Enable'
- Go to 'APIs and Services' > 'Enable APIs and Services' > Search for 'Gmail API' and click 'Enable'
- Enable the Google OAuth2 API
- Create OAuth 2.0 credentials (Web application type)
- Add authorized redirect URIs:
- Development:
- `http://localhost:8787/api/auth/callback/google`
- Production:
- `https://your-production-url/api/auth/callback/google`
- Add to `.env`:
```env
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
```
- Add yourself as a test user:
- Go to [`Audience`](https://console.cloud.google.com/auth/audience)
- Under 'Test users' click 'Add Users'
- Add your email and click 'Save'
> [!WARNING]
> The authorized redirect URIs in Google Cloud Console must match **exactly** what you configure in the `.env`, including the protocol (http/https), domain, and path - these are provided above.
3. **Autumn Setup** (Required for some encryption)
-Go to [Autumn](https://useautumn.com/)
-For Local Use, click [onboarding](https://app.useautumn.com/sandbox/onboarding) button and generate an Autumn Secret Key
-For production, select the production mode from upper left corner and generate an fill the other fields. After that, generate an Autumn Secret Key
- Add to `.env`:
```env
AUTUMN_SECRET_KEY=your_autumn_secret
```
### Environment Variables
Copy `.env.example` located in the project folder to `.env` in the same folder and configure the following variables:
```env
# Auth
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET= # Required: Secret key for authentication
# Google OAuth (Required for Gmail integration)
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID= # Required for Gmail integration
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET= # Required for Gmail integration
# Database
DATABASE_URL= # Required: PostgreSQL connection string for backend connection
# Redis
REDIS_URL= # Redis URL for caching (http://localhost:8079 for local dev)
REDIS_TOKEN= # Redis token (upstash-local-token for local dev)
```
For local development a connection string example is provided in the `.env.example` file located in the same folder as the database.
### Database Setup
Zero uses PostgreSQL for storing data. Here's how to set it up:
1. **Start the Database**
Run this command to start a local PostgreSQL instance:
```bash
pnpm docker:up
```
This creates a database with:
- Name: `zerodotemail`
- Username: `postgres`
- Password: `postgres`
- Port: `5432`
2. **Set Up Database Connection**
Make sure your database connection string is in `.env` file. And you have ran `pnpm run cf-install` to sync the latest env.
For local development use:
```
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/zerodotemail"
```
3. **Database Commands**
- **Set up database tables**:
```bash
pnpm db:push
```
- **Create migration files** (after schema changes):
```bash
pnpm db:generate
```
- **Apply migrations**:
```bash
pnpm db:migrate
```
- **View database content**:
```bash
pnpm db:studio
```
> If you run `pnpm dev` in your terminal, the studio command should be automatically running with the app.
## Contribute
Please refer to the [contributing guide](.github/CONTRIBUTING.md).
If you'd like to help with translating Zero to other languages, check out our [translation guide](.github/TRANSLATION.md).
## Star History
[](https://www.star-history.com/#Mail-0/Zero&Timeline)
## This project wouldn't be possible without these awesome companies
## 🤍 The team
Curious who makes Zero? Here are our [contributors and maintainers](https://0.email/contributors)
