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E-mail Protocols

E-mail clients are also network applications which need a set of protocols.

Post Office Protocol

Post Office Protocol

  • The Post Office Protocol (POP) is a common e-mail protocol which defines how emails can be retrieved from a mail server.
  • Inboxes are not kept in sync:
    • Once a user has downloaded their mail from the server, the server deletes their copy.
    • Only a local copy remains.
Internet Message Access Protocol

Internet Message Access Protocol

  • Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is another protocol for retrieving e-mails from a mail server.
  • IMAP allows e-mails to be kept in sync:
    • Actions on your local machine are synced with the server.
    • Inboxes remain consistent across multiple devices.
  • IMAP is becoming more popular than POP because of the ability to sync multiple devices.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

  • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) defines how e-mail messages are sent from an e-mail client to a mail server.
  • Almost all e-mails are sent using SMTP.

Email Protocols

Email clients are also network applications which need a set of protocols.

Post Office Protocol

Post Office Protocol

  • The Post Office Protocol (POP) is a common email protocol which defines how emails can be retrieved from a mail server.
  • Inboxes are not kept in sync:
    • Once a user has downloaded their mail from the server, the server deletes their copy.
    • Only a local copy remains.
Internet Message Access Protocol

Internet Message Access Protocol

  • Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is another protocol for retrieving emails from a mail server.
  • IMAP allows emails to be kept in sync:
    • Actions on your local machine are synced with the server.
    • Inboxes remain consistent across multiple devices.
  • IMAP is becoming more popular than POP because of the ability to sync multiple devices.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

  • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) defines how email messages are sent from an email client to a mail server.
  • Almost all emails are sent using SMTP.
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Computers

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Communication & The Internet

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