SMTP is the standard protocol used for sending email messages between servers and from email clients to mail servers.
Why it matters:
- It’s what actually delivers your outgoing mail.
- Works hand-in-hand with IMAP or POP3, which handle incoming mail.
- A misconfigured SMTP server can cause emails to fail or be marked as spam.
Pro tip: Always use authenticated SMTP with encryption (TLS or SSL) — open or unauthenticated servers are a major security risk.
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