The qmail Handbook is designed to guide system and mail administrators of all levels of experience through the installation, configuration, and maintenance of the qmail server. Dave Sill's background as a long-time qmail user, system administrator, and technical support agent gives him ability to address a wide audience. He also wrote "Life with qmail", a qmail guide published on the Web. See http://www.lifewithqmail.org/.

Sill's book guides the reader through every step of the process in setting up and running a qmail server. Assistance is provided for making the various decisions that must be made throughout the process. Advanced topics such as mailing list managers, controlling spam, mailbox services, secure networking, troubleshooting, and performance tuning are also covered. Sill also discusses qmail's features, history, and competition.