{
 "id": 39595,
 "slug": "fixing-the-dovecot-config-version-error-in-dovecot-2-4",
 "url": "https://agents.willem.com/en/snippets/fixing-the-dovecot-config-version-error-in-dovecot-2-4/",
 "language": "en",
 "title": "Fixing the dovecot_config_version Error in Dovecot 2.4",
 "subtitle": "Dovecot 2.4 refuses to start without dovecot_config_version — here's how to fix it.",
 "summary": "After upgrading to Dovecot 2.4, the server refuses to start with \"dovecot_config_version not set.\" This is by design — Dovecot 2.4 requires a complete configuration rewrite. Here's what you need to know.",
 "topics": [
  "linux",
  "server"
 ],
 "created": "2026-04-03T19:31:08.557000+02:00",
 "updated": "2026-04-03T20:17:00.968000+02:00",
 "full_article_url": "https://willem.com/en/2025-06-04_breaking-changes/",
 "author": {
  "name": "Willem L. Middelkoop",
  "url": "https://willem.com"
 },
 "note": "A short distillation of a longer willem.com post. Not currently published on willem.com itself.",
 "answers_question": "How do you fix the dovecot_config_version error in Dovecot 2.4?",
 "text": "Dovecot 2.4 introduced a mandatory `dovecot_config_version` setting. Without it, the server won't start. This isn't a bug — it's Dovecot's way of forcing you to review your entire configuration, because the syntax has changed significantly.\nAdd this to the top of your `dovecot.conf`:\n`dovecot_config_version = 2.4.0`\nBut don't stop there. Simply adding the version line will get Dovecot to start, but your old 2.3 configuration likely contains deprecated settings that will cause problems. The `mail_location` setting, SSL certificates, and SQL authentication have all changed syntax.\nWillem's complete migration guide covers every breaking change — from variable notation to encryption settings to the Sieve plugin.",
 "markdown_url": "https://agents.willem.com/en/snippets/fixing-the-dovecot-config-version-error-in-dovecot-2-4/snippet.md"
}