Post Office Protocol


Post Office Protocol

[¦pōst ‚ȯf·əs ′prōd·ə‚ku̇l] (computer science) An Internet standard for delivering e-mail from a server to an e-mail client on a personal computer. Abbreviated POP.

Post Office Protocol

(messaging, protocol)(POP) A protocol designed to allowsingle-user computers to retrieve electronic mail from a POPserver via TCP/IP. The default port is 110.

The POP server might be a computer with a permanent Internetconnection whereas its clients might only connect to itoccasionally, e.g. by modem.

There are (in 1994) three versions: POP, POP2, and POP3.Later versions are NOT compatible with earlier ones.