Outgoing mail server smtp

An outgoing mail server, also known as a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server, is a server that sends emails from a user's email account to the recipient's email account. Here's a breakdown of what an outgoing mail server does:

What is an outgoing mail server?

An outgoing mail server is a server that is responsible for sending emails from a user's email account to the recipient's email account. It is also known as a Mail Submission Agent (MSA) or a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA).

How does an outgoing mail server work?

Here's a step-by-step explanation of how an outgoing mail server works:

1. Email client: A user composes an email using an email client (e.g., Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or a web-based email client like Gmail).
2. SMTP connection: The email client establishes a connection to the outgoing mail server using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).
3. Authentication: The email client authenticates with the outgoing mail server using a username and password or other authentication methods (e.g., OAuth).
4. Email submission: The email client submits the composed email to the outgoing mail server.
5. SMTP relay: The outgoing mail server relays the email to the recipient's email server, which is usually done through a series of intermediate mail servers.
6. Delivery: The recipient's email server receives the email and delivers it to the recipient's inbox.

Common outgoing mail server settings

Here are some common outgoing mail server settings:

• SMTP server: The hostname or IP address of the outgoing mail server (e.g., smtp.gmail.com, smtp.outlook.com).
• SMTP port: The port number used for SMTP communication (e.g., 25, 587, 465).
• SMTP username: The username used to authenticate with the outgoing mail server (e.g., your email address).
• SMTP password: The password used to authenticate with the outgoing mail server (e.g., your email password).
• SMTP encryption: The encryption method used to secure the SMTP connection (e.g., SSL/TLS, STARTTLS).

Examples of outgoing mail servers

Here are some examples of outgoing mail servers:

• Gmail: smtp.gmail.com (port 587)
• Outlook: smtp.outlook.com (port 587)
• Yahoo: smtp.mail.yahoo.com (port 587)
• AOL: smtp.aol.com (port 587)

In summary, an outgoing mail server is a server that sends emails from a user's email account to the recipient's email account. It is responsible for relaying emails to the recipient's email server and is an essential part of the email delivery process.