POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) — a method of receiving email in which messages are downloaded from the mail server to a connected device or program.
Unlike IMAP, POP3 is not designed for continuous email synchronization between different devices and programs.
How POP3 works
When connected, the program accesses the mail server and downloads new messages. After that, they can be handled locally, meaning directly in the program they were downloaded to.
With POP3, you can:
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Receive emails: new messages are downloaded from the mail server.
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Store emails on the device: downloaded messages are available in the email program.
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Work without a constant connection: previously downloaded emails can be viewed without accessing the server again.
Depending on the settings, copies of downloaded emails may remain on the server or be deleted from it.
Why POP3 is used in traffic arbitrage
In traffic arbitrage, POP3 is used when working with accounts linked to an email address. For example, this type of access may be used if IMAP is disabled or unavailable for the mailbox.
Through POP3, connected software can receive incoming emails, including verification codes and account recovery links.
When purchasing accounts, the seller may specify separately which protocol the email supports — POP3 or IMAP. This is important to consider when connecting the mailbox to the software being used.
POP3 and IMAP — what is the difference
The main difference lies in how they handle emails:
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POP3: downloads emails from the server to a device or program and is not intended for full synchronization between multiple connections.
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IMAP: works with emails on the server and synchronizes changes between connected devices and programs.
Therefore, POP3 is primarily suitable for simply receiving emails, while IMAP is suitable when the same mailbox needs to be accessed from multiple locations.
