IMAP is a protocol that allows you to access messages on a single server. One of the most common examples of how the protocol works is the ability to use an email client from multiple devices at the same time.
Advantages
The protocol works on port 143. IMAP allows you to store information on a separate server. Among the main advantages of the protocol are the following:
- The protocol allows you to use the mail client both from a computer and from other devices. All information is synchronized on the server.
- All information is hosted on the server, which protects the computer or other device from cyber attacks.
- The user can change the email client without changing the email address.
- The ability to configure automatic filtering. By writing several rules into the IMAP protocol, you can configure the sorting of messages by several parameters, for example, by date, by sender or recipient, by size and availability of copies. Moving, deleting, and forwarding messages is also carried out using the protocol.
The only drawback of the protocol is the mandatory availability of the Internet, that is, you will not be able to log into the mail client, even if there are already some messages there.