Email

Electronic mail, usually shortened to email or e-mail, is a way to send and receive digital messages using electronic devices over a computer network. It was created in the late–20th century as the digital version of regular mail, which is why we call it “e-mail.” Today, email is used almost everywhere—in businesses, schools, governments, and everyday life.

Email works over computer networks, mostly the Internet, and also on smaller networks called local area networks. Modern email systems use a “store-and-forward” method, where email servers receive, send, deliver, and store messages. This means people don’t need to be online at the same time to communicate; they can connect to a mail server or a webmail service whenever they want to send or receive messages.

At first, email could only send simple text messages using a format called ASCII. Later, it was expanded using something called MIME so it could include pictures and other types of content. There are also standards for international email addresses using UTF-8, though these are not used as much yet. Having an email address, usually shown as a name followed by the symbol @ and a domain name, is now a basic part of many activities around the world.

Terminology

Email, short for electronic mail, is the common way we talk about sending messages over the internet. People have been using words like "e-mail" and "EMAIL" to describe this since the 1970s, but today, "email" is the most recommended spelling.

Emails have parts like "To" and "From" that help us know who sent and received the message. Each email has a header with details and a body where the actual message is written.

History

Main article: History of email

Email started in the early 1960s when computers began allowing users to share messages. One of the first systems was created by MIT in 1965. In 1971, the first email was sent over the ARPANET, introducing the ‘@’ symbol we still use today.

As technology grew, big companies like IBM, CompuServe, and Xerox created their own email systems. In 1983, a new way to send email called SMTP was introduced, and by the mid-1990s, it became the standard way emails are sent and received around the world.

Operation

When someone sends an email, several steps happen behind the scenes. First, the sender’s email program prepares the message and sends it to a local server. This server then figures out where the email should go by looking up the recipient’s address.

The message travels through several servers until it reaches the recipient’s server, where it is stored until the recipient checks their email. There are many ways people can send and receive emails, including using web-based services or special company systems. Sometimes, emails can take a little longer to arrive if the servers are busy or if the message is very large.

Message format

Email messages follow a specific format set by rules called RFCs. These rules explain how emails are built and sent over the internet. An email has two main parts: the header and the body. The header includes important details like who sent the email, who it's to, the date, and the subject. The body is where the actual message is written.

Headers can include many fields, such as "To," "From," "Date," and "Subject." These fields help organize and describe the email. The body can be written in plain text or HTML, which allows for formatting like bold text or pictures. However, plain text is often preferred because it works well on all devices and avoids issues with formatting or security.

Main article: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions

Main articles: Internet email, Email address

Servers and client applications

Emails are sent and received using special software programs. Messages travel between computers using a protocol called Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Programs called mail transfer agents send the messages, while mail delivery agents store them. If a message can’t be delivered, a bounce message is sent back to the sender to explain the problem.

People can read their emails using programs called mail user agents on their computers, or through websites like Gmail or Yahoo! Mail. These web-based platforms let users check their email from any device using a web browser. Emails can be stored either on the user’s computer, on the server, or in both places. Some common file types for saving emails include .eml, .emlx, .msg, and .mbx, each used by different email programs.

Main article: mailto

Types

Main article: Webmail

Email can be accessed in different ways. One common method is through web-based email, where you can log in using any web browser to send and receive messages. This usually requires an internet connection.

Another way is through special programs on your computer or phone. Some programs download messages and remove them from the server, while others let you see message details and choose which ones to download. This helps you manage your email from different devices.

Uses

Email has become a very important way for businesses, governments, and many organizations to communicate. It helps people share information quickly and cheaply, without needing to meet in person or make phone calls. Email also lets people work at their own pace and keeps a written record of messages.

People also use email for personal communication, often checking it on computers or smartphones. While many young people now prefer texting or social media, email is still widely used around the world for both personal and work-related messages.

Issues

Email messages can include extra files called attachments, like documents or pictures. While there's no official limit to how big these attachments can be, most email services set a limit—usually around 25MB—to keep things running smoothly. If you need to send something larger, you might need to use a file-sharing website instead.

Email spam is unwanted messages sent to many people at once. It used to be mostly ads, but now often contains harmful content. Laws and special computer programs help block most spam, but a lot still gets through.

Email spoofing is when someone makes an email look like it came from someone else. This is often used to trick people into thinking they're getting a real message from a company or a friend.

Email bombing happens when someone sends too many emails to one address on purpose. This can make the email address very hard to use.

Keeping emails private can be tricky. Messages might pass through many computers before reaching you, and sometimes other people can see them. There are ways to make emails more secure, but it's not always easy.

Sometimes people get so many emails that they can't keep up. This is called email bankruptcy or email fatigue. Some people send a message saying they're clearing out their inbox and will get back to you later.