Email client
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An email client (or mail user agent [MUA]) is a computer program that is used to read and send e-mail. Protocols supported by email clients include POP3 and IMAP. IMAP and the updated IMAP4 are optimized for storage of e-mail on the server, while the POP3 protocol generally assumes that the e-mail is downloaded to the client. The SMTP protocol is used by most email clients to send e-mail. In addition to the fat client email clients presented here, there are also Web-based e-mail programs ("webmail") such as SquirrelMail, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, and Hotmail. America Online also has an email client as a component of its Internet access program.
Another important protocol supported by most e-mail clients is MIME, which is used to send binary attachments. Attachments are files that are not part of the e-mail proper, but are sent with the e-mail.
MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface) is a proprietary Microsoft Windows API which can be used to access the Microsoft Exchange e-mail server or to interact with the Microsoft Outlook client.
Javamail, part of the platform-independent Java API, can be used to develop e-mail clients or servers using any of the standard e-mail protocols.
See also
de:E-Mail-Programm es:Cliente de e-mail fr:Client email ja:メーラー pl:MUA