Understand different email protocols for secure and efficient communication.
Email Protocols
RFC 8314: Cleartext Considered Obsolete: Use of TLS for Email Submission and Access
Mandates TLS for SMTP submission (port 465/587), IMAP, and POP3. Declares cleartext email protocols obsolete.
RFC 2049: MIME Part Five: Conformance Criteria and Examples
Defines MIME conformance levels and provides worked examples for implementers.
RFC 2822: Internet Message Format
Previous email message format standard. Obsoleted by RFC 5322 in 2008.
RFC 5321: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
The authoritative SMTP standard defining the full MTA-to-MTA command sequence.
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.
RFC 1869: SMTP Service Extensions (ESMTP)
Defines the EHLO command and the ESMTP extension framework that all modern SMTP servers use.
Webmail.co.za SMTP, IMAP & POP3 Settings (2026): South African Independent Provider
Complete Webmail.co.za email settings for the independent South African consumer email provider, with the unified mail.webmail.co.za hostname and comparison to Telkom/MWEB.
Orange.tn SMTP, IMAP & POP3 Settings (2026): Orange Tunisie ISP
Complete Orange.tn email settings for Orange Tunisie consumer email, with the separate-from-Orange.fr infrastructure gotcha explained.
