POP3
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Networking
| Stands for | Post Office Protocol version 3 |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
POP3 stands for Post Office Protocol version 3, a networking abbreviation.
An email retrieval protocol that downloads messages from the server to a single device, traditionally deleting them from the server afterward. It uses port 110, or 995 with TLS encryption.
Example: Old Outlook profiles still use POP3, so mail read at home never shows up at work.
Usage notes
POP3 first appeared in RFC 1081 (1988) and is defined today in RFC 1939 (1996). Its download-and-delete model suited dial-up users with one computer but fits poorly with smartphones, so most providers recommend IMAP; clients can be set to "leave a copy on the server". Often shortened to POP, which in networking can also mean point of presence.
Related abbreviations
More networking abbreviations
- P2P – Peer-to-peer
- PAN – Personal area network
- PAT – Port address translation
- PDU – Protocol data unit
- PoE – Power over Ethernet
- PoP – Point of presence
- PPPoE – Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet
- PPTP – Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol
- PSK – Pre-shared key
- PTR – Pointer (record)
- QoS – Quality of service
- QUIC – QUIC (originally Quick UDP Internet Connections)