POP3 Server Information
There are numerous ways to access email on the Internet. If you don't use a web-based email program such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail, odds are you use a desktop client in order to download email. The most predominant way Internet service providers and web hosts offer email access to their clients is by allowing a desktop client to connect to a server known as a POP3 email server.
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POP3
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POP3 stands for Post Office Protocol. As the name states, there have been three inceptions of the POP email server since the protocol was introduced. The POP3 type of email server has been around for several years, as the paper introducing the concept was released in 1996. Although a POP4 version of the software is in the works, no development has been done on the protocol since 2003.
How it Works
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POP3 quickly became the standard email access type for several ISP and email providers when it came out, and most email programs can easily configure access to a server because of it. When a desktop program connects to a POP3 server, the server asks for a username and password, which the desktop program usually supplies, either automatically or through a user prompt. Once the username and password are authorized, the program is allowed access to the email, where it will either download the email to the server or keep it stored, depending on user preference.
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Advantages
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A primary advantage of POP3 email servers is the downloading of mass amounts of email. The fact that the emails downloaded are sent straight to the computer means that the user can have them archived for later viewing, or save important emails that contain information. Additionally, because the connection to the POP3 server isn't a constant, bandwidth can be saved for other Internet activities such as browsing or gaming.
Disadvantages
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With email storage on the desktop client, however, comes a small disadvantage. Should the desktop program delete the mail on the server, the copies on the program are essentially the only surviving copies of the email. If something should happen to the emails, whether they become corrupted or accidentally deleted, those emails are lost forever.
Versus IMAP
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Another email server protocol gaining ground online is known as the Internet Message Access Protocol. Unlike a POP3 email-based server, an IMAP server can send out email as well as store it. Furthermore, any email sent to an IMAP server gets stored automatically on the server, and doesn't get downloaded to the client. A desktop client also remains connected to the IMAP server for as long as the user desires, and doesn't simply disconnect upon email download like POP3 does.
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