Which statement is true about SMTP and POP servers?

Which statement is true about SMTP and POP servers?

• A. POP is used for mail receiving; SMTP is used for sending and receiving mail
• B. POP is used for sending mail only
• C. SMTP is used for receiving mail only
• D. Both are used only for sending mail

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how email protocols move messages and how you access them. POP (Post Office Protocol) is what email clients use to download messages from a mail server so you can read them, i.e., receiving mail from the server. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is what sends messages from a client to a mail server and carries messages between mail servers as they travel toward their destination. In practice, SMTP handles the sending and the delivery path between servers, while POP handles retrieving the message for the user. So describing POP as used for receiving mail and SMTP as used for sending (and as part of delivering mail to another server) matches how these protocols operate. The other statements contradict what these protocols do: POP isn’t for sending mail, SMTP isn’t only for receiving, and they aren’t both limited to sending.

The key idea is how email protocols move messages and how you access them. POP (Post Office Protocol) is what email clients use to download messages from a mail server so you can read them, i.e., receiving mail from the server. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is what sends messages from a client to a mail server and carries messages between mail servers as they travel toward their destination. In practice, SMTP handles the sending and the delivery path between servers, while POP handles retrieving the message for the user.

So describing POP as used for receiving mail and SMTP as used for sending (and as part of delivering mail to another server) matches how these protocols operate. The other statements contradict what these protocols do: POP isn’t for sending mail, SMTP isn’t only for receiving, and they aren’t both limited to sending.