I can’t recommend Stalwart enough.
It also does CalDAV and CardDAV and some other things… But even JMAP, which is like IMAP, but modern and not as weird.
Ltt.rs supports it on Android, it’s a lot faster and works well. Author is the same as for Conversations, THE Android XMPP client.
Stalwart is simple to set up and works reliably.
Looks cool, although all of the examples are things I’d just do quickly once I notice it needs doing and I believe planning those might increase the work load.
But I can see a use-case for other tasks, those that I tend to forget. Might give it a try. :)
Also, I can highly recommend inwx.com, they are cheap and competent, give you lots of options and support is great. Don’t use them for hosting, though, they do it but it’s not their main business and expensive.
Do i need WHOIS privacy?
We cannot tell you what level of privacy you need.
BTW, for example .eu domains only have an emailaddress public in Whois and your preferred language. In that case I’d say there is good privacy.
Do i need SSL support?
Yes, just configure TLS for anything that you host. Letsencrypt exist, after all. It doesn’t even cost you anything.
What else should i know before committing to buying a domain
If you ever use it for email, do not get rid of it. Just in case you later need to receive an email and to stop others from receiving your emails.
Do i need to use my actual details when registering a site? I dont like the idea of anyone being able to look up my personal information just because I have a domain for a server (but perhaps thats just the price of admission)
No need to enter valid data when registering a domain. If your data is invalid, many if not most NICs will revoke the domain. They require valid data to know who the customer is.
Wow, that’s just ridiculous.
“Here’s some free software that is non-free.”
Denian Stable. It just works.