Knowra Internet Message Access Protocol Internet Message Access Protocol Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is an application-layer protocol for accessing and managing email stored on a mail server. It keeps messages on the server and synchronizes mailbox state across clients.
IMAP commands : Protocol operations that let a client select mailboxes, fetch messages, change flags, and manage mailbox contents. Commands such as SELECT, FETCH, and STORE implement IMAP’s core mailbox operations.
Email mailbox : A server-managed collection of email messages, often organized into folders or labels. IMAP operations act on selected mailboxes rather than only on isolated messages.
Post Office Protocol version 3 : A mail-access protocol commonly used to download messages from a server to a client. POP3 is often simpler for download-oriented access, while IMAP maintains server-side mailbox state.
Mark Crispin : A computer scientist who designed and maintained key versions of the IMAP protocol. Crispin’s work shaped IMAP’s early design and its later standards.
IMAPS : The common name for IMAP over implicit TLS, traditionally served on TCP port 993. IMAPS protects the connection from the start of the session.
IMAP synchronization : The process of keeping a client’s view of server-side messages and mailbox changes up to date. Synchronization lets several devices reflect changes to the same server mailbox.
Email message : A digital message with structured headers and a body, commonly transported using Internet mail standards. IMAP retrieves and updates messages stored in a mailbox.
SMTP : The protocol used to submit and relay email between clients and mail servers. SMTP sends mail; IMAP accesses mail already stored in a mailbox.
IMAP2 : An early standardized version of the Internet Message Access Protocol, published in 1988. IMAP2 established an influential early form of remote mailbox access.
STARTTLS : A command that upgrades an initially unencrypted connection to an encrypted TLS connection. IMAP servers can use STARTTLS to add transport encryption to a connection.
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