What is IMAP?
What is IMAP?
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is an email protocol used by mail clients to sync messages to and from a mail server. IMAP is the most widely used email protocol and has been preferred by many users because of its capability to sync emails across multiple devices. With IMAP, you can access and manage your emails that are on the server directly via the Internet.
How IMAP works?
IMAP is a client-server email protocol used to synchronise emails from the server to one or more devices. Below are the steps involved to use IMAP to manage emails.
- An email client or a mobile application makes a connection request to the email server.
- User logs in to his/ her email account and selects the port (993 for secure SSL/ TLS and 143 for non-secure connections).
- Based on the selected port, the client authenticates the user credentials.
- Upon successful authentication, the IMAP protocol allows the email client or mobile app to sync the user’s emails from the server using a FETCH command.
- IMAP ensures that the folder structure and mail read status are intact.
Advantages of IMAP protocol
IMAP is a robust email protocol that enables users to efficiently manage emails stored on remote servers. Below is a list of advantages of IMAP protocol.
Sync emails across devices
IMAP's two-way sync capability allows users to access emails from multiple email clients and stay up-to date, thereby reducing email clutter. All user actions are mirrored on the server. Hence, emails status is consistent across every device, thereby ensuring seamless access.
Manage emails on a remote server
IMAP allows you to access emails stored on a server from anywhere, as long as you have a valid internet connection. This is beneficial for those whose work nature requires frequent travel or swapping devices.
- Organizing folder - The hierarchical folder structure supported by IMAP helps users to organize their emails into multiple folders. Changes to an email made by a user on one device gets reflected across all devices.
- Server-side search - Search emails stored on the email server. You can search through a specific message based on criteria such as subject, sender, and other keywords.
- Applying flags and labels - You can apply labels and flag emails from an email client or mobile app using the IMAP protocol. Flags aid users to find important messages.
Differences between IMAP and POP
IMAP and POP are email protocols that work in their unique ways that suit different sets of users based on the user's email usage requirements. The table given below lists some of the basic differences between IMAP and POP protocols:
| Category | IMAP | POP |
|---|---|---|
| Email storage | The mail server stores messages, making it easier to seamlessly synchronize emails across devices. | Emails are downloaded and stored on the user’s computer/ mobile, and deletes the email from the server. |
| Sync emails across multiple devices | Access a single email account from multiple devices (mobiles, laptops, desktops, etc.). All user actions (such as reading an email, deleting, moving emails to folders, etc.) done in one device are synced across devices. | An email once read gets downloaded to that device and removed from the server. This means, users can access their email account only from a single device when using the POP protocol. |
| Folder structure | Supports multiple folders and allows users to organize emails in multiple folders and sync them to the server. | Folders are not supported by the POP protocol. |
| Offline usage | Requires an Internet connection to view, manage, and sync emails. | Since the messages are downloaded and stored on the user’s computer/ mobile, emails can be viewed offline using the POP. However, users cannot view newer emails without an internet connection. |
Shortfalls of IMAP
Amidst the benefits that the IMAP protocol has, it has a few shortfalls. To name a few:
- Requires a stable internet connection to sync emails from the server.
- Storage limitations
- Slow loading of email when there are huge attachments associated with an email
- Privacy concerns - By default, the client-to-server communication is via plain text during login. This can pose a serious threat to the user's credentials since the username and password are not encrypted.
Best practices and recommendations while using IMAP
It is recommended to follow some of the IMAP best practices given below to manage your emails via IMAP efficiently:
- Ensure TFA is enabled for your organization.
- Use of application-specific password for enhanced security.
- Use secure connections (SSL/TLS) for encrypted communication.
- Organize emails into folders and archive old emails regularly.
- Limit the number of folders and avoid complex folder structures.
- Download attachments only when required.
- Empty the trash folder periodically.
- Keep your email storage within server quotas to avoid syncing issues.
- Backup important emails periodically as per your organization's email backup policy to prevent data loss.
- Enable IMAP IDLE for real-time updates.
- Search efficiently by using advanced filters.