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POP3 vs SMTP

WHAT IS IT ?

  • There are 3 protocols used in OSI madel for email communication.

  • These protocols are presented in aplication layer used as Email protocols on the internet.

  • SMTP

  • POP

  • IMAP

Email Client

Mail Server

​

SMTP

POP/IMAP

Outlook

Opera Mail

Thunderbird

Gmail

Yahoo Mail

Hotmail

SMTP:

Protocol used for send and receive the mails.

POP/IMAP:

Protocol for retrive,storage and managing the mails in mail client server.

POP3

Post Office Protocol 

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol 

vs

  • The POP standard is the protocol used for the storage and organization of emails.

  • Used to extract and retrive email from a remote mail server for access by the host machine.

Email Client

Mail Server

​

POP3

  • Used too send and receive email messages.

  • At client mail applications typically use SMTP only for sending messages to a mail server 

Email Client

Mail Server

​

SMTP

Mail Server

​

Browser Mail

SMTP

  • Either POP or IMAC is integrited in client application.

  • POP3 is the 3rd version of POP.

  • SMTP is integreted within an email client application

  • ESMTP is the new version allows multimedia files to to transferd as email.

  • Default port: 110

  • With SSL: 995

  • Default port: 25 or 2525

  • With SSL: 465

  • IMAP more advance features then POP.

  • In place of POP3, we can use IMAP.

  • There is no alternative of SMTP.

  • POP1 introduced in 1984.

  • POP3 in 1988.Ss

  • Popular after SMTP and IMAP.

  • SMTP introduced in 1982.

  • Most popular mail protocol.

  • It downloads the messages from server.

  • Support offline access of emails.

  • Can not access those mails in multiple device.

  • It just send and recieves.

  • Does not download messages for offline.

  • Commads used to retrive mail form POP3 server by an email client:

  • USER

  • PASS

  • STAT

  • LIST

  • DELE

  • TOP

  • QUIT etc

  • Commands used to deliver mails between two servers:

  • HELO

  • RCPT

  • SIZE

  • DATA

  • VRFY

  • AUTH

  • EXPN etc

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