Knowing what SMTP is and how it works in your email

Many still don't know what SMTP is. This internet network protocol is often used when sending an email. For your email to be delivered to the destination email address, various processes must be passed first. STMP will help with this process.

This article will teach you more about SMTP, from its definition to how it works. Let's see the full explanation below!
 

What is an SMTP Connection?

SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, is an internet protocol to send electronic mail (email) over a network. SMTP is an application used by email servers to send, receive, and relay emails between the sender and receiver of the email.

An SMTP email server will have an address (or multiple addresses) that can be set by the email client or application you are using and will generally be formatted as SMTP.(server address).com. For example, the SMTP server used by Gmail is smtp.gmail.com. Usually, you can find your SMTP mail server address in the account or settings section of the email client.

When sending an email, such as with Gmail's SMTP host, the SMTP server will process your email, decide which server to send the email to, and relay the email to the selected server. The recipient's email service provider, such as Gmail, will then download the message and place it in the recipient's inbox.

Like a regular server, an SMTP server processes data to be sent to other servers. Still, it has a particular purpose: to process data related to sending, receiving, and delivering emails. In addition, an SMTP server doesn't have to exist on the machine either; it's a continuously running application that anticipates the delivery of new emails.
 

What is POP3?

Besides SMTP, there are other protocols that you should understand in how email works. If SMTP functions in sending emails, POP3 is a protocol that receives emails.

POP3 takes emails on the server and moves them to local email. This mechanism prevents POP3 from making a copy of the email on the server. Therefore, if your email application uses this protocol, it is highly recommended that you make a copy of the email on your email server just in case you use two devices to access the same email.

Ports commonly used by POP3 include:
110: unencrypted port
995: port that has been encrypted by SSL/TLS

How Important is SMTP for a Company?

Companies must send emails or blasts to hundreds or thousands of customers daily. However, free email services like Gmail cannot handle the task. Therefore, companies need a private SMTP server to blast emails.

A good SMTP server can ensure that every email the company sends reaches the consumer's inbox safely. That way, companies can continue email marketing through email blasts to offer various products and promotions, send newsletters, etc.

While various free and cheap SMTP services are available, companies must choose the best, usually paid, SMTP server. A good SMTP server allows companies to take complete control of their email marketing campaigns. With free email services, there is no guarantee that all emails will be delivered 100%.

Also Read: Mengapa Anda Harus Menggunakan Zimbra Untuk Mail Server Bisnis Anda

When a company uses a dedicated SMTP server or a commercial SMTP service provided by a third party, it can control all emails sent. In addition, all emails the company sends will be sure to reach the intended consumer's inbox.

Not only that, private SMTP servers can also help companies send various types of emails other than marketing, such as new customer registration processes, password changes, order statuses, and so on. In essence, all emails that need to be sent by the company can be sent 100% if the company uses a private SMTP server.
 

What are the Advantages of SMTP?

Every company, huge companies, must have a private SMTP server. The following are some of the advantages that can be felt if using a private SMTP server.
 

1. Improved Email Deliverability

The most obvious benefit of using a private SMTP server is better email deliverability. Many free email services have low delivery success rates, which can cause significant problems for companies, clients, and consumers.

A private SMTP server can provide companies with a very high email delivery rate and a backup plan in case any delivery fails. If email delivery fails, the private SMTP server will respond by sending an error report so the company can always handle any situation before it becomes a problem.
 

2. Researching Sent Emails

A private SMTP server can also allow companies to scrutinize all previous emails. By accessing the archive of emails sent, companies can make standard actions such as follow-ups and reporting more troublesome.
 

3. Full Access to All Emails

The great thing about having a private SMTP server is full email access. This will be very beneficial for the company. For example, when a company is having trouble with a client or consumer because they feel they didn't receive what they expected, the company can look at the history of the emails sent to resolve the issue.

Also Read: Cara Cara Mengamankan Akun Email Dari Hacker Dengan Efektif

SMTP works relatively quickly and is easier than you think. Once an SMTP server is created, email clients can connect to and communicate with it. When a user presses "send" on an email message, the email client opens an SMTP connection to the server to send the email. Note: SMTP connections are built on top of TCP connections, which stand for Transmission Control Protocol.

From there, the SMTP client will use commands to tell the server what to do and send data, such as the sender's email address, the recipient's email address, and the content of the email message. Then, the Mail Transfer Agent or Message Transfer Agent (MTA) checks to see if both email addresses are from the same email domain, such as gmail.com:

• If yes, the SMTP server will send the email directly.
• If not, the SMTP server will use the Domain Name System (DNS) to identify the recipient's domain and send it to the correct server.

For more details, you can read the example case below! Agus wants to send something via email to Asep. The email service that Agus uses is Gmail, agus@gmail.com, while Asep uses the Yahoo email service, asep@yahoo.com. The following steps are what will happen:

• Agus composes the email, enters Asep's email address as the recipient, and sends it.
• Agus' email client connects to his domain's SMTP server that pushes the email. Here, Agus' mail server will act as the SMTP client.
• Agus' mail server communicates with Asep's mail server to deliver the message to Asep.
• Once both email servers are connected, Agus' SMTP client will send the message to Asep's email server. Here,
• Asep's email server will act as the SMTP server. Asep's SMTP server scans the incoming message and recognizes the domain and username.
• Asep's email server receives the email, which is then stored in the mailbox. The email can later be opened and read through the application, whether from Yahoo or others.

That's the explanation of SMTP that you need to know. When sending many emails, you will usually be more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Therefore, you must protect your email using Cloudmatika Mail Buster.

Cloudmatika Mail Buster will work as spam filtering, filtering or selecting spam emails from incoming and outgoing emails before they reach the email server and inbox to increase your security and work efficiency. If you are interested, contact Cloudmatika now!