The email concept, or electronic mail, is a digital method for sending and receiving messages, documents, and other files between users over the internet or other computer networks. It functions like a postal mail system but operates digitally, allowing for fast, inexpensive communication from anywhere with an internet connection. Key to this system are email servers, which store, forward, and deliver messages, and established protocols like SMTP for sending and POP3 or IMAP for receiving mail. 


How E-Mail works?

  1. Sending: When you send an email, the message is first processed by a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) on the sending server.
  2. Transmission: The message then travels across computer networks using protocols like SMTP until it reaches the recipient's email server.
  3. Receiving: The recipient's mail server, using protocols such as POP3 or IMAP, stores the message in a mailbox.
  4. Retrieval: The recipient can then access their mailbox using an email client or webmail to retrieve and read the message, even if the sender is no longer online.


Protocol (E-Mail):

Different types of protocols used in e-mail are as follows: -


1. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) – when we compose and send an e-mail, our e-mail client or server uses SMTP to relay the message to the recipients’ e-mail server.


2. POP (Post Office Protocol) – POP is the e-mail protocol used for retrieving e-mail messages from a mail server to a user’s e-mail client. There are two main versions of POP: POP3 and POP2.


3. Mailto – it’s a URL scheme used in HTML and other web technologies to create hyperlink, that when clicked, initiates an e-mail composition process in the user’s default e-mail client.


4. IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) – it is an internet standard protocol that allows email clients to retrieve messages from a mail server, enabling users to access and manage their emails from multiple devices by keeping messages stored on the server and syncing changes across all connected clients.


IMAP v/s POP:

IMAP is recommended for syncing across multiple devices, while POP is for downloading emails to a single device.


Free E-Mail Services:

There are several free e-mail services available to users. These services offer e-mail functionality free of cost.

Some of them are as follows: -


1. Gmail – It is provided by Google and is one of the most popular and feature-rich. It offers generous amount of storage space, excellent spam filters and integration with other google services.


2. Yahoo Mail – Yahoo is another well-known free e-mail service. Its features include: user-friendly interface, ample storage space and is easy and convenient to use.


3. Outlook.com (Formerly Hotmail) – It is Microsoft’s free e-mail service. It provides integration with the Outlook Office suite, good spam protection and a clean user interface.


4. Rediffmail – It is provided by Indian web portal Rediff.com. Its features include: storage, spam filtering and a user-friendly interface.


How to sign-up (Gmail)?

Steps to sign-up at Gmail include: -

  1. Go to www.gmail.com.
  2. Click “Create Account.”
  3. Fill out the registration form.
  4. Verify your identity.
  5. Access google account created by you.


How to send an e-mail?

Steps to send an e-mail include: -

  1. Visit www.gamil.com.
  2. Log in into your account.
  3. Click on “Compose.”
  4. Write Recipient’ e-mail address in the “To” field.
  5. Enter subject of your e-mail in “Subject” field. (Optional).
  6. Compose e-mail: enter main text in the body area.
  7. Attachments: attach files (if any) from your computer by clicking on “Attach Files” option (Paper Clip Icon).
  8. Once you’re finished composing e-mail, click on “Send” button. 

Your e-mail is sent.