SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. It is one of the most widely used email protocols, along with IMAP (Internet Messaging Access Protocol) and POP (Post Office Protocol). Simple Mail Transfer Protocol makes it possible for mail servers to send, receive and relay outgoing emails between senders and receivers. It is used by many well known email clients like Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail.
How Does SMTP Work?
- An email server uses SMTP to send a message from an email client to another email server.
- The email server uses SMTP as a relay service to send the mail to the receiving mail server.
- The receiving email server uses an email client to download the incoming mail and place it in the recipient’s inbox.
What is an SMTP Server?
While SMTP is the protocol that provides the rules for digital communication, the SMTP server is the application that actually handles the sending, receiving and relaying of email.
AN SMTP server is set to an always-on listening mode, so that when it detects a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) from a client, the SMTP process opens a connection port to send mail.
