Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

The Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) serves as a cornerstone of cutting-edge email communication, facilitating seamless get admission to email messages. As a necessary element of the e-mail infrastructure, IMAP revolutionizes the manner customers interact with their digital correspondence. Unlike its predecessor, the Post Office Protocol (POP), IMAP gives a dynamic and synchronized approach to handling emails across multiple gadgets and structures.

What is IMAP?

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is an application layer protocol that operates as a contract for receiving emails from the mail server. It was designed by Mark Crispin in 1986 as a remote access mailbox protocol, the current version of IMAP is IMAP4. It is used as the most commonly used protocol for retrieving emails. This term is also known as Internet mail access protocol, Interactive mail access protocol, and Interim mail access protocol.IMAP retrieves all of your recent messages from your email provider by getting in touch with it. They are removed from the email service as soon as you download them to your Mac or PC. This implies that the email can only be viewed on the same computer after it has been downloaded. You won’t be able to access the previously downloaded messages if you attempt to access your email on a different device.

Features of IMAP

• It is capable of managing multiple mailboxes and organizing them into various categories.
• Provides adding of message flags to keep track of which messages are being seen.
• It is capable of deciding whether to retrieve email from a mail server before downloading.
• It makes it easy to download media when multiple files are attached.

Working of IMAP

IMAP follows Client-server Architecture and is the most commonly used email protocol. It is a combination of client and server process running on other computers that are connected through a network. This protocol resides over the TCP/IP protocol for communication. Once the communication is set up the server listens on port 143 by default which is non-encrypted. For the secure encrypted communication port, 993 is used.

IMAP

• Email client Gmail establishes a connection with Gmail’s SMTP server.
• By approving the sender’s and recipient’s email addresses, the SMTP server verifies (authenticates) that the email can be sent.
• The email is sent to the Outlook SMTP server by Gmail’s SMTP server.
• The recipient’s email address is authenticated by the Outlook SMTP server.
• IMAP or POP3 is used by the Outlook SMTP server to deliver the email to the Outlook email client.

Architecture of IMAP

The Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) protocol is a client-server model that allows users to access and view email messages stored on remote servers Here is a summary of the events:

IMAP

• IMAP clients: An IMAP client is an email application or software that users use to communicate with their email accounts. Examples include Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and mobile email applications. The client communicates with the IMAP server to receive, manage, and send email messages.
• IMAP Server: The IMAP server manages email messages and manages user mailboxes. It responds to requests from IMAP clients, and provides access to email folders and messages. The server stores emails in a structured format, usually organized in user-defined folders or mailboxes. Common IMAP server software includes Dovecot, Courier IMAP, Cyrus IMAP, and Microsoft Exchange Server.
• Network Protocols: IMAP works over TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) networks, and allows an IMAP client to connect to an IMAP server over the Internet or local area networks. IMAP typically uses TCP port 143 for unencrypted connections and TCP port 993 for encrypted connections using SSL/TLS (IMAPS).

Steps involve in IMAP Operation

• An email client, like Microsoft Outlook, connects to the server via IMAP when a user registers in.
• Certain ports are used for connections.
• The email client shows the headers of every email.
• IMAP does not automatically download attachments; messages are downloaded to the client only when the user taps on them.
• Compared to alternative email retrieval protocols like Post Office Protocol 3, users can check their mail more quickly with IMAP (POP3).
• Until they are specifically deleted by the user, emails will stay on the server.
• While IMAP over Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security assigns port number 993, the IMAP server listens on port 143.

Advantages

• It offers synchronization across all the maintained sessions by the user.
• It provides security over POP3 protocol as the email only exists on the IMAP server.
• Users have remote access to all the contents.
• It offers easy migration between the devices as it is synchronized by a centralized server.
• There is no need to physically allocate any storage to save contents.

Disadvantages

• IMAP is complex to maintain.
• Emails of the user are only available when there is an internet connection.
• It is slower to load messages.
• Some emails don’t support IMAP which makes it difficult to manage.

Difference Between IMAP and POP3

IMAP	POP3
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is much more advanced and allows the user to see all the folders on the mail server.	POP is a simple protocol that only allows downloading messages from your Inbox to your local computer.
The IMAP server listens on port 143, and the IMAP with SSL secure(IMAPDS) server listens on port 993.	The POP server listens on port 110, and the POP with SSL secure(POP3DS) server listens on port 995
Messages can be accessed across multiple devices	In POP3 the mail can only be accessed from a single device at a time.
The mail content can be read partially before downloading.	To read the mail it has to be downloaded on the local system.
The user can create, delete or rename an email on the mail server.	The user can not create, delete or rename email on the mail server.

Frequently Asked Question on IMAP – FAQs

What is IMAP?

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is an application layer protocol that operates as a contract for receiving emails from the mail server. It was designed by Mark Crispin in 1986 as a remote access mailbox protocol, the current version of IMAP is IMAP4. It is used as the most commonly used protocol for retrieving emails.

Advantage of IMAP?

• It offers synchronization across all the maintained sessions by the user.
• It provides security over POP3 protocol as the email only exists on the IMAP server.
• Users have remote access to all the contents.

Does IMAP provide security?

By default, login information is sent in plain text from the client to the server, therefore passwords and usernames are not encrypted.

What is the default port for IMAP?

The default port number for IMAP is 143 and for IMAPS it is 993.

Does IMAP support folder synchronization?

You may access your mail from anywhere via IMAP. Although the majority of email clients will automatically sync your normal folders, such sent, drafts, and trash, to the server, in the event that you need to manually set these or change them for whatever reason, our step-by-step instructions below will direct you in the correct direction.