What you should know about the IMAP4 and POP3 protocols

Both protocols serve the purpose of email retrieval, however, IMAP was designed with the goal of permitting complete management of an email box by multiple email clients, and this is not the case with POP. While POP typically downloads messages from the email server and saves them locally on the client device, IMAP keeps the messages on the server until the user explicitly deletes them from any of the email clients that access the mailbox.

The latest versions of IMAP and POP are IMAP4 and POP3, respectively. IMAP4, which stands for Internet Mail Access Protocol version 4, was developed in the early 1990s by an IMAP working group within the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It provides a mechanism for clients to access email messages on a remote server, allowing complete management of an email box by multiple email clients. This means that messages are generally left on the server until the user explicitly deletes them. IMAP4 also supports access to MIME message parts, partial fetch, and message state information.

IMAP version 4, which is defined by RFC3501, was designed to work with modern email and extend features provided by its predecessors. This version supports various features such as folder management, message flags, server-side searches, message state information, built-in extension mechanism, access to MIME message parts and partial fetch, and server push notifications. IMAP version 4 also addresses the shortcomings of POP.

On the other hand, POP version 3, which is defined by RFC1939, is an older protocol with limited functionality. Unlike IMAP, POP can be used as a download-and-delete protocol, meaning that downloaded emails are removed from the server, which can create issues when the user tries to access their emails from multiple devices. POP version 3 doesn’t support features provided by IMAP, such as server-side searches, message state information, and built-in extension mechanism. Additionally, POP version 3 doesn’t support a mechanism to show any external changes in state during the session like IMAP IDLE does.

POP3, or Post Office Protocol version 3, is the latest version of the POP protocol. It was developed in the late 1980s as a way for clients to retrieve the contents of a mailbox. Unlike IMAP, POP retrieves the entire contents of an email box to the client, which is then deleted from the server. This means that messages are not accessible from other email clients, nor can they be accessed once they have been downloaded to the client. Additionally, POP3 does not provide a mechanism to show any external changes in state during the session, unlike IMAP4.

While both IMAP4 and POP3 are still widely used for email retrieval, IMAP4 is generally preferred over POP3 due to its more advanced features and support for concurrent access to the same mailbox by multiple clients. Additionally, IMAP4 allows clients to create, rename, and delete mailboxes on the server, as well as copy messages between mailboxes. IMAP4 also provides a mechanism for a client to ask the server to search for messages meeting a variety of criteria, and supports server push notifications through IMAP IDLE.

In terms of security, both IMAP4 and POP3 can be cryptographically protected using SSL/TLS. IMAP over SSL/TLS (IMAPS) uses port 993 , while POP3 over SSL/TLS (POP3S) uses port 995. However, it should be noted that while SSL/TLS can encrypt the connection between the client and server, it does not provide end-to-end encryption for the email messages themselves.