Email Hostnames: What They Are and Why They Matter

Introduction –  Email Hostname? <h2>

There are many ways of communication available in today’s technological world, but the primary and most used method still remains the email. It is used on a daily basis by billions of people around the world.

According to Google, there are over 4 billion daily users of email services, which account for more than 300 billion email messages sent over different email clients. Around 25% of these users check their inbox up to six times daily. Businesses use emails on a daily basis, where more than three-fourths of the total emails sent are accounted for by start-ups and product industry to target their customers and grow their customer database.

In this blog we will discuss Email Hostnames, what they are, and how services like HostDistrict can help you better understand and manage them.

What is an Email Hostname? 

As we all know, multiple billion devices are connected to the Internet. Each device has its unique hostname. It is the identification of the device within the network. The knowledge of the device’s hostname will allow you to connect with it over the internet and exchange data, and perform other tasks. 

A hostname can be written as simple as a single keyword or a keyphrase or can be written in the alphanumeric format. 

Because the number of devices which are connected with the internet is increasing on a daily basis, there is a need for a universal recognition system. To overcome this problem, we have a Domain Name System (DNS) resolver. Simply put, it “translates” or converts IP addresses to a unique alphanumeric name. Each of these unique numbers is assigned to a device. This makes it easy to identify the particular device over the internet and communicate with it. 

Why is there a need for Hostname?

As we have read, what are hostnames, it is easy to decipher their use. We all communicate via emails and send multiple mails , some of us even use emails for business purposes. So, to keep the communication easy and to make sure the emails are being sent from point A to point B, hostnames are necessary for email services. These hostnames will indicate the location and device, and identify the system over the internet. This is important because the recipient server will give a go ahead for the email to pass through and when it does, the user will get the email successfully. 

Every user has the complete freedom to choose their hostname. It is a field where you can have a simple hostname, such as mail.domain.com or mailingserver1.domain.com, or a totally customised hosting name. To make you understand, let us consider the first example, mail is your hostname, domain is the second level domain and .com is the first level domain. 

Hostnames have a similar structure and hierarchy to subdomains, because each serves a different area. Hostnames serve as a domain area rather than a computer identifier. 

Incoming and Outgoing Mail Servers

As their names suggest, incoming email servers undertake the process of receiving emails from various email clients and outgoing email servers undertake the responsibility of sending emails to various email clients. 

Outgoing email servers utilise SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol) to send the emails. Once the send button is clicked, all the message and its data is transferred to the SMTP server, which will communicate with the global DNS to identify the recipient’s IP address. Once all the information is collected and verified the email is dropped in the inbox of the recipient.

There are two types of incoming email servers – POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol). The only difference between these two is the handling of incoming messages. POP3 downloads the message to a local system and then deletes the email from the server, freeing up space from the server.
IMPA lets the email remain on the server and makes copies of the email message so the email can be accessed from multiple locations and devices.

How to Find Out your Email Hostname?

When you are setting up the email  client of your choice, you will need to input essential data, which includes the hostnames of the outgoing and incoming email servers. 

Only for the purpose of giving a better understanding, we will find your email hostname to one of the most popular email clients – Microsoft Outlook. 

Outlook for MAC

• Open Microsoft Outlook on your Mac. 
• Navigate to Preference and select the option which says ‘Accounts’
• Choose the appropriate email account
• You will see a screen which displays all the information about your incoming and outgoing email servers.

Outlook for Windows

• Open Microsoft Outlook on your windows laptop or PC. 
• Navigate to File in the top left corner and click on ‘Account Settings’
• Select the appropriate email account. 
• Just below ‘Server information’, you will find your POP3 and SMTP hostnames.

Conclusion  <h4>

As we have seen, the email hostname is a critical component for properly routing messages over the internet between servers. It works in conjunction with the domain to provide a unique identifier for email systems and accounts. Whether you are just starting to build a business around email or are a long-time user, having a clear understanding of what comprises your email address enables more effective messaging and less delivery issues. As your one-stop shop for professional hostname services and insight, HostDistrict is here to help you get the most out of email hostnames. With the comprehensive overview of how email addresses work including real hostname examples found in this article, you now have the knowledge to optimise use of email hostnames for your project or business messaging needs.