What is a mail server? Learn about the mechanism and role of email delivery

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2019-12-27(Updated: 2024-12-28 )
Email Delivery Basics

Did you know that when sending and receiving email, multiple individual email servers with different roles are used? Email sending and receiving is not done by a single server alone.

In this article, we will introduce the types of servers legal leads for sale used and the roles each one plays.



Table of Contents [Hide]

1. What is a mail server?
2. Types of mail servers and their roles
SMTP Server
DNS Server
POP3​
IMAP​
3. Mail servers have different roles
What is a mail server?
When you send an email to someone, as mentioned above, the email will not reach the recipient using a single server.

The email passes through the mail server you are using, then passes through a DNS server to identify the destination IP address, and is then sent to the recipient's mail server.

An IP address is like an address in the internet world.

In other words, the mail server acts as an intermediary between you and the recipient.




What is an IP address?
An IP address is a number that identifies a device on a network. It is used to avoid misidentifying the other party and plays a role similar to an address or phone number on a network.
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The order in which an email is sent until it reaches the recipient is as follows:

The email you sent reaches the server used for sending email.
The DNS server determines who to send to (the recipient) based on the domain name.
Send the email to the server of the identified destination (recipient)
The server used for receiving receives the email.
Arrives in the recipient's mailbox
Did you know that mail servers are used not only when sending but also when receiving emails?

We will explain in more detail later about the mail server used for receiving emails.







Types of mail servers and their roles
Types of mail servers and their roles

A mail server consists of multiple servers with different roles.

We will explain the types of servers used for sending and receiving email and the role of each.



SMTP Server
This is the server required for sending email.

When you send an email to someone using email software, it is first delivered to the SMTP server set up in the email software.

This server receives the email you send and identifies the recipient's mail server based on the email address you entered as the recipient.

It then forwards the email to the next mail server.



DNS Server
The DNS server is responsible for determining the IP address of the destination of email forwarded by the SMTP server.

It may be easier to understand if you say that it specifies the recipient of the email.

It also manages the IP addresses used by each user to ensure that they do not overlap.

IP addresses are like addresses, so if there are duplicate addresses, emails cannot be delivered to the correct destination.