--- title: "Learn The Basics Of How SMTP Works With A Simple SMTP Server Example | DuoCircle" description: "Join the thousands of organizations that use DuoCircle Find out how affordable it is for your organization today and be pleasantly surprised.Interested in" image: "https://www.duocircle.com/images/og-default.png" canonical: "https://www.duocircle.com/content/smtp-email/smtp-server-example/" --- Content # Learn The Basics Of How SMTP Works With A Simple SMTP Server Example Join the thousands of organizations that use DuoCircle Find out how affordable it is for your organization today and be pleasantly surprised.Interested in [ Talk to an Expert → ](/contact/) [ See what we make ](/products/) ## Learn The Basics Of How SMTP Works With A Simple SMTP Server Example [Fix Your SPF Errors Now](/content/spf-permerror) _Emails are the [most preferred mode of communication](https://backtofrontshow.com/digital-marketing-statistics/) for any business in this digital era_. And hence, neither an individual nor an organization would want to compromise on their email deliverability. You would want your emails to be delivered without any interruptions, be it personal or business. _The SMTP server can be a perfect choice for secure and reliable email deliverability_. Gmail and Outlook are among the most preferred platforms for communication. _These platforms work best for one-to-one communication_. A business or any organization has different email needs. You may be required to send **bulk automated mails**. An SMTP server does this job effectively. Before diving deep into the [SMTP example](/content/smtp-email/smtp-example), let’s first look at what SMTP stands for and how it works. ![smtp email](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/04/defense-email.png) ### What Is An SMTP Server? SMTP or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is an application that is used to send, receive, and relay outgoing emails between senders and receivers. When an email is sent, _it’s transferred over the internet from one server to another using SMTP_. In simple terms, an [SMTP email](/content/smtp-email) is just an email sent using the SMTP server. If the SMTP server is used to send emails, then we can define SMTP relay as a process of transferring an email from one server to another. _It is mainly used to deliver emails from one domain to another domain, which is different from the user’s domain_. The **SMTP relay service** can be used to resolve a lot of issues such as email deliverability, IP blacklisting, and so on. ### Understanding The Importance Of SMTP Server As mentioned earlier, _the SMTP server is used to deliver transactional as well as bulk emails reliably and securely_. There are many SMTP service providers out there in the market. The following are a few advantages provided by such SMTP service providers: - A secure environment for sending emails. - Dedicated IP addresses as well as flexible API and SMTP setup. - Today, most of the SMTP service providers **don’t use port 25** as [SMTP port](/content/smtp-email/smtp-port), and hence the emails sent have a minimal chance of landing into the user’s spam folder. - [User-friendly software](https://www.framer.com/ui-ux-design-tool/). - Fast and customizable email integration. - Real-time analytics to keep track of your emails. There are various open source and [free SMTP servers](/content/smtp-email/smtp-server-free) available. Also, most of the paid SMTP services offer free trial plans. You can choose to try out different options before selecting a service suitable for your needs. Generally, _free plans have a limit on the number of emails to be sent per day or month_. So, if you are looking for an SMTP service for a large organization that can send hundreds and thousands of emails in bulk, it is advised to go for a **paid SMTP service**. ![what is my smtp server](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/04/email-defense.png)![smtp server free](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/04/email-security-as-a-service-1.png) ### Workings Of An SMTP Server The functioning of an SMTP server can be broken down into two steps. The first step includes verification of the computer configuration through which an email is sent and **granting permission** for the process. In the second step, it sends out the message and follows the successful delivery of the email. If due to some reason, the email fails to be delivered, it is returned to the sender. _The SMTP server understands simple [text commands](https://blog.mailtrap.io/smtp-commands-and-responses/)_. The most common commands are as follows: **HELO:** Introduce yourself **EHLO:** Introduce yourself and request extended mode **MAIL FROM:** Specify the sender **RCPT TO:** Specify the recipient **DATA:** Specify the body of the email ### How To Know Your SMTP Server? Have you ever wondered and asked yourself, “[What is my SMTP server](/content/smtp-email/what-is-my-smtp-server)?” You can find it by performing a few steps on Command Prompt: 1. Press the Windows key on your Windows machine keyboard. 2. Type “cmd” in the search box. 3. Open the Command Prompt application and type either of the following two commands: ping smtp.mysite.com ping mail.mysite.com 4. Your SMTP server name will be displayed just after the word “Pinging”. ![smtp](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/04/email-security-threat-2.png)![smtp example](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/04/email-protection-advanced.png) ### Understand SMTP With A Simple SMTP Server Example Let’s now look at an example to simplify the **SMTP protocol** and understand the email flow better. Consider two persons – Tom and Jerry. Tom has a Gmail account – [tom@gmail.com](mailto:tom@gmail.com), while Jerry has an account of Yahoo – [jerry@yahoo.com](mailto:jerry@yahoo.com). Tom wants to send an email to Jerry. The following steps explain the process of email delivery from Tom’s account to Jerry’s account: 1. Tom drafts an email on his Windows PC. 2. He then provides Jerry’s email address and clicks Send. 3. Tom’s email client connects to his domain’s SMTP server that pushes the email. This server can be named as smtp.example.com. Here, Tom’s mail server will play the role of an SMTP client. 4. Tom’s mail server communicates with the yahoo.com mail server to deliver the message to Jerry. 5. _Once the initial [SMTP handshaking](https://www.afternerd.com/blog/smtp/) between the two servers is done_, the SMTP client sends Tom’s message to Jerry’s mail server. Here, Jerry’s mail server will play the role of an SMTP server. 6. Jerry’s SMTP server scans the incoming message and recognizes the domain and the user name. 7. Jerry’s mail server receives the email, which is then stored in the mailbox. This email can be later fetched and read through an email application such as Outlook. ### Final Words So to conclude, _the role of emails and the SMTP servers is pivotal in any organization for its smooth functioning_. We covered the **SMTP server example** to give you a brief idea of [how SMTP works](https://www.omnisecu.com/tcpip/smtp-simple-mail-transfer-protocol-how-smtp-works.php) and its **effectiveness** in fulfilling the communication needs of your organization. _It is always better to invest some time to do some basic research about the types of SMTP servers available in the market_ before choosing the one suitable for your business or personal needs. After all, effective communication is the key to success! ![smtp port](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/05/email-threat-protection.png) ##### Join the thousands of organizations that use DuoCircle --- Find out how affordable it is for your organization today and be pleasantly surprised. [Outbound SMTP - Sign Up FREE](/email/outbound-smtp)Interested in our Partner Program for MSPs and VARs? Visit Our [MSP Partner Program](/msp-partner-program). ## Ready to talk? Same-day response from someone technical. We tell you yes or no quickly. If yes, we get to work. [Talk to an Expert→](/contact/)[See what we make](/products/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.duocircle.com/images/duocircle-logo.png"},"description":"DuoCircle is a portfolio of specialized email products covering protection, authentication, delivery, and routing. We deliver about 90% of category-leader capability at roughly half the price, backed by experts who own the outcome. 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