Don't know which e-mail protocol to use for managing your e-mails? Most likely you will need to configure your email and manage it in some external software or even directly by Webmail.
Despite the convenience of managing your email directly by webmail in the cloud, some people prefer to use external software, among the most famous like Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thenderbird and others.
Below I will explain exactly the difference between SMTP, POP3 and IMAP:
What is SMTP?
SMTP stands for (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) and is the industry standard protocol for sending email. Basically if you are sending or forwarding messages from a mail software using for example Microsoft Outlook, to a receiving e-mail address. The sender will use an SMTP server to perform the process of transmitting an email message.
Now that you have learned how the email sending protocol works, let's get to the protocols for receiving those emails and their differences:
POP3
POP3 stands for (Post Office Protocol), it transfers all incoming messages from the server (by default only the Inbox) to the device or local email management software and removes them from the server after they have been downloaded. This configuration therefore requires you to keep a backup routine on your device or software to avoid losing your email.
IMAP
IMAP (Internet Access Message Protocol) stores the message on the server and synchronizes the message across multiple devices.
This configuration brings a lot more convenience and allows you to have all your emails synchronized on all connected devices. The only downside is that if you have a high email throughput, it requires more space on your hosting provider. If this is the case, perhaps the POP3 protocol with a security backup routine would be a better solution.
POP3 vs IMAP protocol summary
It depends on how you want to access your e-mails.
In general IMAP is more powerful and the recommended method for receiving email if you are working on multiple devices.
Alternatively, if you prefer to have all email accessible offline and if you have a device designated for email, POP may be a suitable option.
