When setting up an email account on your laptop/phone, two key technologies work behind the scenes to make communication possible: SMTP and POP3. Understanding how these protocols function will help you configure your email correctly and troubleshoot common issues.
In this article, we’ll walk through how email works using a practical example.
Setting Up Your Email Account
Let's assume you have set up the following e-mail address on cPanel:
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Email address: info@mydomain.co.za
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Username: info@mydomain.co.za
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Password: abcde
These credentials will be used for both sending and receiving email.
Click here for the steps on Setting Up An Email Address
Sending Emails with SMTP
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is responsible for sending emails from your laptop/phone to the recipient. You need software to send e-mails such as Outlook or Thunderbird or BlueMail.
To configure outgoing mail, you will typically need:
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Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP): mail.mydomain.co.za (Alternatively: az1-sr8.supercp.com)
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Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)
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Authentication: Required (use your email address and password)
What Happens When You Send an Email?
When you send an email:
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Your email client (software) connects to the SMTP server
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The message is delivered to the recipient's mail server
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A copy of the email is saved in your Sent Items folder on your laptop/phone
Receiving Emails with POP3
POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) is used to download emails from the server to your device.
To configure incoming mail, you will need the following:
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Incoming Mail Server (POP3): mail.mydomain.co.za (Alternative: az1-sr8.supercp.com)
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Port: 995 (SSL)
How POP3 Works
POP3 is designed to download emails onto a single device.
By default:
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Emails are downloaded from the server to your laptop/phone
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They may be removed from the server after downloading
However, you can configure your email client (software) to:
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Leave a copy of emails on the server
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Automatically delete emails from the server after a set period (e.g. 14 days or 30 days)
Why This Matters
Because emails are stored locally:
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Your laptop/phone becomes the primary storage location
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If your laptop/phone is lost or damaged, emails may be lost unless backed up
Managing Your Inbox
Incoming emails are typically delivered to your Inbox, but you can organise them by:
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Creating folders (mailboxes)
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Setting up rules or filters
For example:
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Automatically move invoices to an “Accounts” folder
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Direct support queries into a “Support” folder
This helps keep your mailbox organised and efficient.
