Mailman Web

To install and run the web UI for the Mailman 3 suite using Unit:

1. Install Unit with a Python 3.7+ language module.

2. Follow Mailman’s guide to install its prerequisites and core files, but stop at setting up a WSGI server; we’ll use Unit instead. Also, note the following settings (values from the guide are given after the colon):

   • Virtual environment path: /opt/mailman/venv/
   • Installation path: /etc/mailman3/
   • Static file path: /opt/mailman/web/static/
   • User and group: mailman:mailman

   These are needed to configure Unit.

3. Run the following command (as root) so Unit can access Mailman’s static files:

   # chown -R unit:unit /opt/mailman/web/static/  # User and group that Unit's router runs as by default | Mailman's static file path
   

Note:
The unit:unit user-group pair is available only with official packages, Docker images , and some third-party repos. Otherwise, account names may differ; run the ps aux | grep unitd command to be sure.

Alternatively, add Unit’s unprivileged user account to Mailman’s group so Unit can access the static files. Run the following command as root:

# usermod -a -G mailman unit  # Mailman's user group noted in Step 2 | User that Unit's router runs as by default

4. Next, prepare the Mailman configuration for Unit (use values from Step 2 for share, path, and home):

   {
      "listeners": {
         "*:80": {
               "pass": "routes"
         }
      },
   
      "routes": [
         {
               "match": {
                  "uri": "/static/*"
               },
               "_comment_match": "Matches requests for web UI's static content",
               "action": {
                  "share": "/opt/mailman/web/$uri"
               },
               "_comment_action": "Mailman's static file path without the 'static/' part; URIs starting with /static/ are thus served from /opt/mailman/web/static/"
         },
         {
               "action": {
                  "pass": "applications/mailman_web"
               }
         }
      ],
   
      "applications": {
         "mailman_web": {
               "type": "python 3.X",
               "_comment_type": "Must match language module version and virtual environment version",
               "path": "/etc/mailman3/",
               "_comment_path": "Mailman's installation path you noted in Step 2",
               "home": "/opt/mailman/venv/",
               "_comment_home": "Mailman's virtual environment path you noted in Step 2",
               "module": "mailman_web.wsgi",
               "_comment_module": "Qualified name of the WSGI module, relative to installation path",
               "user": "mailman",
               "_comment_user": "Mailman's user group noted in Step 2",
               "environment": {
                  "DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE": "settings"
               },
               "_comment_environment": "App-specific environment variables",
               "_comment_DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE": "Web configuration module name, relative to installation path"
         }
      }
   }
   

5. Upload the updated configuration.

   Assuming the JSON above was added to config.json. Run the following command as root:

   # curl -X PUT --data-binary @config.json --unix-socket \
         /path/to/control.unit.sock \  # Path to Unit's control socket in your installation
         http://localhost/config/      # Path to the config section in Unit's control API
      

   Note:
   The control socket path may vary; run unitd -h or see Startup and shutdown for details.

   After a successful update, Mailman’s web UI should be available on the listener’s IP address and port: