SMTP is the standard protocol for exchanging emails. ISPs provide POP3 addresses for collecting mail, requiring authentication. IMAP allows for leaving copies on the server, useful for multiple clients. IMAP is generally used by web-based email services and can be used with most POP3 accounts.
To handle e-mail uniformly on networks such as the Internet, the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) was designed, the standard protocol used for exchanging e-mail. At the server level, SMTP is responsible for both sending and receiving email between relay hosts that route the mail across the network to its destination. At the client (user) level, most people associate SMTP with only sending mail, and the outgoing mail server address is often smtp.(thedomain).com. However, the incoming mail server address might be named after a retrieval protocol, such as Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3), pop3.(thedomain).com, or Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), imap.( thedomain).com .
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) generally provide their customers with a POP3 address. Authentication is required to collect mail from an incoming mail server and takes the form of the email address and associated password. This could be a proprietary password used only for mail or the password assigned to the account. Only one client can access a POP3 mailbox at a time, and once collected, the mail is automatically deleted from the server.
While POP3 is efficient, it’s not always useful. The IMAP protocol allows for the retrieval of mail from the server by leaving copies. This is useful for people collecting mail from multiple clients or locations. For example, using IMAP, the user can collect personal emails while at work to keep up with things, then can delete it from the work machine and collect it again from home to respond. The home email client can then be configured to purge mail from the server.
Those using personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, and other personal electronic devices with email access and IMAP support will also appreciate the ability to check email without the process deleting the mail from the server. While some emails can be answered quickly using a numeric keypad, longer replies are more conveniently typed from a standard computer later. Using the IMAP protocol, mail on the incoming mail server can also be flagged or flagged to indicate various states or conditions. For example, collected mail can be marked as read.
POP3 is most often associated with ISP’s mail service, while IMAP is generally used by web-based email services. IMAP flexibility can be used with most POP3 accounts, however using an IMAP supported mail client . Most popular email clients today support both POP3 and IMAP protocols.
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