POP3 is a protocol used to receive email.
POP3 is a notion that is used in the field of computing . Its origin is found in the English expression Post Office Protocol , which can be translated as Post Office Protocol and is usually mentioned by its acronym POP .
This is the name given to a protocol used by email clients to receive and download messages that are hosted on a remote server. Because the first two versions of the protocol became obsolete over time, today it is often referred to simply as POP3 .
Thanks to POP3 , a user can download email to their computer and read it later, without the need to be connected to the Internet . This characteristic of the protocol was very important when most connections were made through the telephone line ( dial up ) and were slow.
POP3 Features
Specifically, there are two characteristics that define POP3 and that are most praised: that to check email accounts it uses programs such as Thunderbird and Outlook and that, when requesting the email, the server downloads all the information. in what is the hard drive that the computer has.
The usual thing is that, through POP3 , the person accesses their email and downloads it to their computer, thus deleting it from the server . Other protocols, such as IMAP , generally work differently (storing messages on the server even after they have already been downloaded). POP3 , in any case, allows you to keep emails on the remote server, although for technical reasons it is somewhat inconvenient.
POP3 allows you to download mail to your computer.
Differences with IMAP
Both IMAP and POP3 are, therefore, standard Internet protocols for email that give the possibility of enjoying this service to get the most out of it:
- IMAP, specifically and in addition to what has already been stated, is identified because it allows several clients to access the same mailbox. This also facilitates subsequent access to email messages that are available on the relevant server through webmail.
- POP3, for its part, what it does is directly download the messages and then delete them from the server.
- In addition to the above, it must be said that while this last protocol is the one most used on a personal level; The previous one, IMAP, becomes the preferred one for companies. And it not only makes it easier to organize messages but also to consult them and even make copies.
POP3 and SMTP
It is important to note that POP3 only allows you to receive messages, and not send them. When the person wants to send an email, the usual thing is that the client they choose uses SMTP ( Simple Mail Transfer Protocol ). This means that when you configure an email account in a client like Outlook Express , for example, the program will be told to use POP3 for receiving messages and SMTP for sending.
It is important to know that the SMTP proposal becomes a very useful tool to improve the security of the email service as well as its effectiveness and functionality. Specifically, thanks to it, it prevents an account from being violated and used for "criminal" purposes.