MailCatcher runs a super simple SMTP server

A tool like this is very useful, but this one isn't being maintained anymore. MailHog isn't either.

MailPit, MailCrab and smtp4dev are modern alternatives.

https://github.com/axllent/mailpit

https://github.com/tweedegolf/mailcrab

https://github.com/rnwood/smtp4dev

I use Mailcatcher for almost ten years now and never had a problem with it. Maybe is doesn't need maintenance?

There's no rush to move away from MailCatcher or MailHog, but if you're not using those solutions already I see no reason to use them over the maintained options.

> I see no reason to use them over the maintained options

Things that don't change over a longer time period can be more comfortable sometimes. Especially things you use often and build up a sort of "muscle memory" about.

You ignored first part of that sentence.

"Not changing" has value in its own right.

Yeah, people underestimate the value of “finished” software: in an ecosystem with lots of stable dependencies, there’s very little reason for useful software to change constantly.

Even "finished" software needs maintenance. Nothing is ever bug-free so needs fixes. And it doesn't live in a vacuum, the ecosystem evolves and continuous adjustments are needed when APIs evolve or libraries change.

In well-written software, the maintenance burden is low, but it's not zero. Without any maintenance, you can maybe run some piece of software in some closed-off container for a while, but it will keep rotting away and eventually you won't even be able to compile it anymore.