Mail

In short: Electronic mail (email) — messages exchanged between mail servers over the internet.

In more detail: Sending runs via SMTP, retrieval typically via IMAP or POP3. A mail address consists of a local part and a domain (name@domain.tld), where the domain points to the responsible mail server via an MX record.

In Depth

The path of a mail from sender to recipient runs through several separate protocols, each handling its own task:

1. The sender writes the mail in a mail client and sends it to their own mail server — usually also via SMTP with authentication.
2. This server looks up, via the MX record of the destination domain, which mail server is responsible for the recipient, and delivers the mail there via SMTP.
3. The recipient’s mail server places the mail in the recipient’s mailbox.
4. The recipient retrieves their mail via a retrieval protocol — either IMAP (mail stays synchronised on the server, several devices see the same state) or the older POP3 (mail is completely downloaded to one device).

A mail address itself is two-part: name@emzett-digital.com consists of the local part (name, freely interpretable by the respective mail server) and the domain (emzett-digital.com, which determines the responsible server via the MX record). Unlike websites, there’s no fixed global registry for the local part of mail addresses — every mail server manages its own addresses itself.

See also: Mail Server, Emails, MX Record