# Why is SMTP blocked?

SMTP ports 25, 465, and 587 are blocked on Droplets to prevent spam and other abuses on our platform. This block applies to all Droplets by default and includes traffic passing through a [Reserved IP](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/networking/reserved-ips/index.html.md) address.

Even if SMTP were available, we [strongly recommend against running your own mail server](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/why-you-may-not-want-to-run-your-own-mail-server), as self-hosted mail servers are difficult to secure and maintain, frequently get flagged as spam, and require constant monitoring to protect your IP address. Dedicated email platforms manage these challenges for you.

To send mail from services hosted on DigitalOcean, we recommend using a third-party email as a service provider.

## Related Topics

[How do I create a Droplet without a private IP?](https://docs.digitalocean.com/support/how-do-i-create-a-droplet-without-a-private-ip/index.html.md): You can disable the address on your Droplet from the command line or through updating your Droplet’s `eth1` interface configuration.

[My Ubuntu Droplet lost all network connectivity after a software update.](https://docs.digitalocean.com/support/my-ubuntu-droplet-lost-all-network-connectivity-after-a-software-update./index.html.md): Ensure your Droplet’s public and private network interfaces are correctly named `eth0` and `eth1`.

[Can I have more than one domain on the same Droplet?](https://docs.digitalocean.com/support/can-i-have-more-than-one-domain-on-the-same-droplet/index.html.md): Yes, you can point an unlimited number of domains to a single Droplet, and you can serve multiple websites from a single Droplet.