Internet mail standard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Internet e-mail functions through the use of Internet Standards. Although many more standards actually apply to e-mail, virtually all mail servers and e-mail clients support at least the following basic set:

  • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) specifies the protocol (RFC 5321, see below) by which e-mail is transmitted
  • RFC 5322 specifies the basic format for e-mail
  • MIME supplements the e-mail formatting rules to allow non-English text in both e-mail headers and bodies, and defines a mechanism for including non-textual attachments in e-mail bodies
  • POP3 and IMAP4 specify e-mail retrieval protocols used by e-mail clients

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

RFC 5321 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

RFC 5322 Internet Message Format