RFC 6376: DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) Signatures
Cryptographic signature standard that lets receiving MTAs verify a message was authorised by the sending domain.
Standards & Protocols
RFC 4871: DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) Signatures
Original DKIM specification. Obsoleted by RFC 6376 in 2011.
RFC 2048: MIME Part Four: Registration Procedures
Original MIME type registration procedures. Obsoleted by RFC 4288.
Email RFC Directory: 68 Standards Explained
Reference catalog of 68 email protocol RFCs. Tiered by importance: essential standards every sender must know, complete reference catalog, and historical archive.
RFC 5322: Internet Message Format
Defines the structure of email messages: headers, body, encoding, and field syntax.
RFC 2822: Internet Message Format
Previous email message format standard. Obsoleted by RFC 5322 in 2008.
RFC 822: Standard for ARPA Internet Text Messages
The original email message format standard from 1982. Historical foundation of all subsequent format RFCs.
RFC 5321: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
The authoritative SMTP standard defining the full MTA-to-MTA command sequence.
RFC 821: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Original SMTP RFC from 1982 by Jon Postel. Defined the core SMTP command set still in use today.
RFC 772: Mail Transfer Protocol
The earliest email transfer protocol RFC, predecessor to SMTP.
RFC 2821: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Previous SMTP standard. Introduced port 587 and clarified relay rules. Obsoleted by RFC 5321 in 2008.
RFC 1870: SMTP Service Extension for Message Size Declaration
Defines the SIZE extension that lets a sending MTA declare message size upfront so the receiver can reject oversized mail before transfer.
