Glossary

Email server

Email server

An email server is a software system that sends, receives, routes, and stores email messages using internet protocols. There are two primary types of email servers: 

  • Mail Transfer Agent (MTA): Responsible for sending and routing email between servers, using SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). Mailgun operates as an MTA. 
  • Mail Delivery Agent (MDA) or Mail Access Server: Handles message storage and retrieval for recipients, typically accessed via IMAP or POP by clients like Outlook, Apple Mail, or Gmail. 

Email servers communicate with each other to deliver messages across the internet. They may include: 

In Mailgun’s case, senders interact with our infrastructure via API or SMTP, and we handle outbound delivery and logging via our MTAs. 

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