Internet mail standard

Internet e-mail functions through the use of Internet standards. Although many more standards actually apply to e-mail, virtually all mail servers and e-mail clients support at least the following basic set.

• SMTP (or RFC 5321) specifies the protocol by which e-mail is transmitted
• RFC 5322 specifies the basic format for e-mail
• MIME supplements the e-mail formatting rules to allow non-English text in both e-mail headers and bodies, and defines a mechanism for including non-textual attachments in e-mail bodies
• POP3 and IMAP4 specify e-mail retrieval protocols used by e-mail clients

See also

• Internet standard

External links

• Internet Mail Consortium's list of e-mail standards