information needed to configure the pop3/imap client
You will need to collect the following details from your email/hosting service provider, regardless of which email client you want to set up (eg outlook express, microsoft office outlook, mozilla thunderbird, etc.)
your email address
host address of incoming mail server (pop3, imap)
this is the address of the incoming mail server associated with your domain through which you will get your incoming mail. the incoming server is where the email arrives and is stored in your mailbox. you can access your mailbox through various services like pop3/imap/pop3s/imaps/webmail.
service through which you want to access your mailbox
post office protocol v3 port (pop3 – 110)
the post office protocol (pop3) is the service through which you can get your emails using any pop3 compatible email client. pop3 server listens on tcp port 110 by default, however you should check with your email service provider if pop3 is running on any other custom port. pop3 is the plain text protocol in which the communication between pop3 client and server, including the authentication process, is done through plain text only. For more information on pop3, visit pop3 client-server communication.
secure port v3 (pop3s – 995) of the post office protocol
Secure Post Office Protocol (pop3s) is the service through which you can get your email using any pop3s compatible email client. pop3s server listens on tcp port 995 by default, however you should check with your email service provider if pop3s is running on any other custom port. pop3s is a secure protocol where all traffic between the pop3s client and server is encrypted using the ssl certificate.
internet message access protocol port (imap – 143)
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is the service through which you can access your email on a remote mail server. in imap, unlike pop3, no emails are physically downloaded permanently, but the user is shown the local email cache/folder structure on the remote server, which can be downloaded on demand. An imap server listens on tcp port 143 by default, however you should check with your email service provider if there is an imap service listening on any other custom port.
secure port internet message access protocol (imaps – 993)
Secure Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAPS) is the service through which you can access your email on a remote mail server. in imaps, unlike pop3s, no emails are downloaded permanently, but the user is shown the local email cache/folder structure on the remote server, which can be downloaded on demand. An imap server listens on tcp port 993 by default, however you should check with your email service provider if there is an imap service listening on any other custom port.
outgoing mail server host address (smtp)
this is the address of the outgoing mail server associated with your domain through which you can send mail either via smtp or smtps. Here it should be noted that unlike the incoming mail server, you are not required to use the outgoing mail server provided by your email service provider, but you can also use a different outgoing mail server provided by your isp or some other provider, as long as the server allows the relay of your domain.
simple mail transfer protocol port (smtp – 25)
an smtp is the service through which you can send email which by default listens on tcp port 25; however no days to reduce spam many internet service providers are blocking communication on default smtp port so to address these issues many hosting service providers are providing alternative tcp port (such as 26 and 587, etc.) to access the smtp server. an smtp is also a plain text protocol in which all traffic between client and server flows only in plain text mode.
simple mail transfer protocol secure port (smtps – 465)
 an smtps is the service through which you can send email which, by default, listens on tcp port 465; however, you should check with your email service provider to see if an smtps server is listening on any other custom ports. an smtps is also an ssl encrypted protocol where all the traffic between the client and the server flows in encrypted mode.
username and password of your email account
username and password to access your mailbox
if your outgoing server requires authentication (smtp authentication is required)
To reduce spam today, all smtp/smtps servers require user authentication before sending mail.