SMTP
SMTP is the standard internet protocol for sending email messages and transferring them between servers
What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.
What it is and how it works
The name stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. When someone sends an email, their client hands it to their provider’s SMTP server, which passes it to the recipient’s server. To read it, the recipient uses other protocols: POP3, which downloads messages, or IMAP, which keeps them synchronised on the server.
When setting up an email account in a client or sending platform, you specify the SMTP server, port and authentication. In email marketing, the sending server set-up and domain authentication (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) affect deliverability.
Also known as
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
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