SMTP POP3 and IMAP

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), POP3 (Post Office Protocol Version 3), and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) are email protocols used for sending and receiving email messages.

SMTP is a protocol used for sending email messages between servers. It is a text-based protocol that uses TCP port 25. SMTP is responsible for transferring mail from the sender’s mail server to the recipient’s mail server.

POP3 and IMAP are protocols used for retrieving email messages from a mail server. POP3 downloads email messages from the server to the client and then deletes them from the server, while IMAP allows the client to access email messages directly on the server. This means that IMAP is more suited for accessing email from multiple devices, while POP3 is more suited for accessing email from a single device.

SMTP, POP3, and IMAP can be used with various email clients such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Apple Mail, among others.