Understanding the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

What is IMAP?

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is a standard email protocol that allows users to access their mailboxes in a secure manner. IMAP allows the user to retrieve mail messages from a server without having to actually download them onto their local machine. It also provides the user with the ability to manipulate messages and folders on the mail server.

»Useful for Receiving Electronic Mails

»If pop3 is selected then mails are deleted from gamil server and posted into local system

»if IMAP is Selected, Then mail are copied from gmail server and copied into the local system

What are the Advantages of IMAP?

• IMAP is more secure than POP, making it an ideal choice for business users.
• Mailboxes are synchronized between multiple devices.
• Users can access the same mailbox from different locations at the same time.
• IMAP allows users to organize their emails into folders, so that they can easily find specific emails.
• IMAP provides more features than POP, including the ability to search emails and flags for urgent messages.

What are the Disadvantages of IMAP?

• IMAP requires more server resources than POP.
• IMAP can be slow over slow internet connections.
• IMAP can create problems with large mailboxes, as the server may not be able to store all the emails.
• IMAP is vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.