Dovecot SSL configuration — Dovecot documentation
ssl=no : SSL/TLS is completely disabled. ssl=yes and disable_plaintext_auth=no : SSL/TLS is offered to the client, but the client isn’t required to use it. The client is allowed to login with plaintext authentication even when SSL/TLS isn’t enabled on the connection. This is insecure, because the pl...
doc.dovecot.org