Bulwark
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Demo mode

Demo mode swaps the JMAP client for a fixture backend. Every screen has plausible data in it, any username and password gets you in, and nothing leaves the process. It exists for three situations: developing the UI without standing up a mail server, showing the app to someone who hasn't got one, and running the public demo.

Turning it on

For development, the shipped dev environment file already enables it:

cp .env.dev.example .env.local
npm run dev

For a container or a deployed instance, set one variable:

DEMO_MODE=true

Then log in with anything at all. The credentials are not checked because there is nothing to check them against.

What's in the fixtures

Emails, mailboxes, calendars, tasks, contacts, files, Sieve filters, identities, and a vacation response. Enough that no screen renders empty, and enough that layout work on the message list or the calendar grid has something realistic to push against.

What it is not

Demo mode is not a sandbox around a real account, and it is not a read-only mode for one. Everything is fabricated in memory:

  • Changes are lost on reload. There is no persistence layer behind the fixtures.
  • Sending mail does nothing. No SMTP transaction happens.
  • Stalwart-specific panels (account security, API keys, Sieve on the server) have no server to talk to and behave accordingly.

Never point a public demo at real data by leaving DEMO_MODE off and hoping. The two states are unrelated: DEMO_MODE=true means fixtures, and anything else means a live mail server.

The hosted demo

There is a shared instance at demo.bulwarkmail.org. Everyone lands in the same mailbox, it is mostly read-only, and it is wiped every hour. Treat it as a screenshot you can click rather than an account.