Skip to content
RFC Editor - Official home of RFCs

RFC 2821: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

  • J. Klensin, Ed.
Proposed Standard
This RFC is now obsolete, see
This RFC was updated, see 
Network Working Group                                 J. Klensin, Editor
Request for Comments: 2821                             AT&T Laboratories
Obsoletes: , ,                                      April 2001
Updates: 
Category: Standards Track


                     Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

Status of this Memo

   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

   This document is a self-contained specification of the basic protocol
   for the Internet electronic mail transport.  It consolidates, updates
   and clarifies, but doesn't add new or change existing functionality
   of the following:

   -  the original SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) specification of
       [30],

   -  domain name system requirements and implications for mail
      transport from  [22] and  [27],

   -  the clarifications and applicability statements in  [2],
      and

   -  material drawn from the SMTP Extension mechanisms [19].

   It obsoletes , , and updates  (replaces the
   mail transport materials of ).  However,  specifies
   some features that were not in significant use in the Internet by the
   mid-1990s and (in appendices) some additional transport models.
   Those sections are omitted here in the interest of clarity and
   brevity; readers needing them should refer to .






Klensin                     Standards Track                     [Page 1]

             Simple Mail Transfer Protocol            April 2001


   It also includes some additional material from  that required
   amplification.  This material has been identified in multiple ways,
   mostly by tracking flaming on various lists and newsgroups and
   problems of unusual readings or interpretations that have appeared as
   the SMTP extensions have been deployed.  Where this specification
   moves beyond consolidation and actually differs from earlier
   documents, it supersedes them technically as well as textually.

   Although SMTP was designed as a mail transport and delivery protocol,
   this specification also contains information that is important to its
   use as a 'mail submission' protocol, as recommended for POP [3, 26]
   and IMAP [6].  Additional submission issues are discussed in 
   [15].

   Section 2.3 provides definitions of terms specific to this document.
   Except when the historical terminology is necessary for clarity, this
   document uses the current 'client' and 'server' terminology to
   identify the sending and receiving SMTP processes, respectively.

   A companion document [32] discusses message headers, message bodies
   and formats and structures for them, and their relationship.

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ..................................................  4
   2. The SMTP Model ................................................  5
   2.1 Basic Structure ..............................................  5
   2.2 The Extension Model ..........................................  7
   2.2.1 Background .................................................  7
   2.2.2 Definition and Registration of Extensions ..................  8
   2.3 Terminology ..................................................  9
   2.3.1 Mail Objects ............................................... 10
   2.3.2 Senders and Receivers ...................................... 10
   2.3.3 Mail Agents and Message Stores ............................. 10
   2.3.4 Host ....................................................... 11
   2.3.5 Domain ..................................................... 11
   2.3.6 Buffer and State Table ..................................... 11
   2.3.7 Lines ...................................................... 12
   2.3.8 Originator, Delivery, Relay, and Gateway Systems ........... 12
   2.3.9 Message Content and Mail Data .............................. 13
   2.3.10 Mailbox and Address ....................................... 13
   2.3.11 Reply ..................................................... 13
   2.4 General Syntax Principles and Transaction Model .............. 13
   3. The SMTP Procedures: An Overview .............................. 15
   3.1 Session Initiation ........................................... 15
   3.2 Client Initiation ............................................ 16
   3.3 Mail Transactions ............................................ 16
   3.4 Forwarding for Address Correction or Updating ................ 19



Klensin                     Standards Track                     [Page 2]

             Simple Mail Transfer Protocol            April 2001


   3.5 Commands for Debugging Addresses ............................. 20
   3.5.1 Overview ................................................... 20
   3.5.2 VRFY Normal Response ....................................... 22
   3.5.3 Meaning of VRFY or EXPN Success Response ................... 22
   3.5.4 Semantics and Applications of EXPN ......................... 23
   3.6 Domains ...................................................... 23
   3.7 Relaying ..................................................... 24
   3.8 Mail Gatewaying .............................................. 25
   3.8.1 Header Fields in Gatewaying ................................ 26
   3.8.2 Received Lines in Gatewaying ............................... 26
   3.8.3 Addresses in Gatewaying .................................... 26
   3.8.4 Other Header Fields in Gatewaying .......................... 27
   3.8.5 Envelopes in Gatewaying .................................... 27
   3.9 Terminating Sessions and Connections ......................... 27
   3.10 Mailing Lists and Aliases ................................... 28
   3.10.1 Alias ..................................................... 28
   3.10.2 List ...................................................... 28
   4. The SMTP Specifications ....................................... 29
   4.1 SMTP Commands ................................................ 29
   4.1.1 Command Semantics and Syntax ............................... 29
   4.1.1.1  Extended HELLO (EHLO) or HELLO (HELO) ................... 29
   4.1.1.2 MAIL (MAIL) .............................................. 31
   4.1.1.3 RECIPIENT (RCPT) ......................................... 31
   4.1.1.4 DATA (DATA) .............................................. 33
   4.1.1.5 RESET (RSET) ............................................. 34
   4.1.1.6 VERIFY (VRFY) ............................................ 35
   4.1.1.7 EXPAND (EXPN) ............................................ 35
   4.1.1.8 HELP (HELP) .............................................. 35
   4.1.1.9 NOOP (NOOP) .............................................. 35
   4.1.1.10 QUIT (QUIT) ............................................. 36
   4.1.2 Command Argument Syntax .................................... 36
   4.1.3 Address Literals ........................................... 38
   4.1.4 Order of Commands .......................................... 39
   4.1.5 Private-use Commands ....................................... 40
   4.2  SMTP Replies ................................................ 40
   4.2.1 Reply Code Severities and Theory ........................... 42
   4.2.2 Reply Codes by Function Groups ............................. 44
   4.2.3  Reply Codes in Numeric Order .............................. 45
   4.2.4 Reply Code 502 ............................................. 46
   4.2.5 Reply Codes After DATA and the Subsequent <CRLF>.<CRLF> .... 46
   4.3 Sequencing of Commands and Replies ........................... 47
   4.3.1 Sequencing Overview ........................................ 47
   4.3.2 Command-Reply Sequences .................................... 48
   4.4 Trace Information ............................................ 49
   4.5 Additional Implementation Issues ............................. 53
   4.5.1 Minimum Implementation ..................................... 53
   4.5.2 Transparency ............................................... 53
   4.5.3 Sizes and Timeouts ......................................... 54



Klensin                     Standards Track                     [Page 3]