Post Office Protocol facts for kids
The Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) is a way your computer's email program gets messages from an email server. Think of it like a digital post office box. When you use an email app on your phone or computer, POP3 helps it connect to the server where your emails are stored. It then downloads those emails to your device.
POP3 is a very common method for getting emails. Another popular way is called IMAP4. Most modern email programs and servers can use both POP3 and IMAP4.
How POP3 Works
When you open your email program, it uses POP3 to talk to your email server. It asks the server, "Are there any new emails for me?" If there are, POP3 helps your program download them. Once the emails are downloaded, they are usually removed from the server. This means your emails are stored on your device, not on the server.
POP3 vs. IMAP4
POP3 is like picking up your mail from a post office box and taking it home. Once you have it, it's usually gone from the box. This is good if you only check email from one device.
IMAP4 is different. It's more like looking at your mail in the post office box itself. The emails stay on the server, and your device just shows you a copy. This is helpful if you check your email from many different devices, like your phone, tablet, and computer, because all devices will see the same emails.
The Idea of POP4
Many years ago, there was an idea for a new version called POP4. It aimed to add some features that POP3 doesn't have, like being able to manage folders on the server or mark messages as read. However, this idea didn't really take off, and no progress has been made on POP4 since 2003. So, POP3 and IMAP4 remain the main ways to get your emails.
See also
- Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)
- Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
- E-mail client
- Webmail
- POP3 clients: getmail, fetchmail
- Email encryption
In Spanish: Protocolo de oficina de correo para niños
