POP3

POP3 (Post Office Protocol) is a very common {{glossary("protocol")}} for getting emails from a mail server over a {{glossary("TCP")}} connection. POP3 does not support folders, unlike the more recent {{Glossary("IMAP")}}, which is harder to implement because of its more complex structure.

Clients usually retrieve all messages and then delete them from the server, but POP3 does allow retaining a copy on the server. Nearly all email servers and clients currently support POP3.

See also

• POP on Wikipedia
• RFC 1734 (Specification of POP3 authentication mechanism)
• RFC 1939 (Specification of POP3)
• RFC 2449 (Specification of POP3 extension mechanism)
• Related glossary terms:
  • {{Glossary("IMAP")}}