Common Issues

This page covers the most common problems administrators encounter with SpamFoo and how to resolve them.

SpamFoo Will Not Start

Port 16253 is already in use

Another process is using the port. Check what is listening on 16253: 

# Linux
ss -tlnp | grep 16253

# Windows
netstat -ano | findstr 16253

If another SpamFoo instance is running, stop it first. SpamFoo does not support running multiple instances on the same port.

Missing or invalid license key

Check that the sf.key file exists in the config directory and is not empty. For SmarterMail installations, delete the sf.key file and restart SmarterMail to trigger automatic re-provisioning. For standalone installations, verify the SPAMFOO_LICENSE_KEY environment variable or sf.key file contents.

Models directory not found

SpamFoo requires ML model files to start. Verify the models directory exists and contains files. Check the --models-dir argument or SPAMFOO_MODELS environment variable. On first launch, SpamFoo downloads models from the CDN automatically, which requires internet access and a valid license.

Emails Are Not Being Classified

SpamFoo process is not running

Check if the spamfoo-client process is active: 

# Linux
pgrep -f spamfoo-client

# Windows
tasklist | findstr spamfoo-client

If the process is not running, check the error logs for the reason it stopped.

Health endpoint returns an error

Test the health endpoint: 

curl http://localhost:16253/health

If this returns an error or times out, SpamFoo is not running or not responding. Check the logs.

Mail server is not sending emails to SpamFoo

The problem may be on the mail server side. Verify your integration is configured correctly:

  • SmarterMail: Check that SpamFoo is enabled in Settings > Antispam > SpamFoo
  • Local API: Confirm your integration is sending requests to http://localhost:16253

Cannot Access Admin Console

  • SmarterMail users: Access the console through SmarterMail's interface. If it is not loading, verify the SpamFoo process is running.
  • Other integrations: The console is available at http://localhost:16253/admin only from the local machine. To access it remotely, set up a reverse proxy. See Setting Up Remote Access.

Still Having Issues?