MailMum Glossary
A bounce report, also known as a bounce message or a non-delivery report (NDR),
is an automated email message generated by an email server to inform the sender
that their email was not delivered to the recipient’s inbox.
Why an email can’t be delivered?
When an email is sent, it is routed through various servers before reaching the
intended recipient’s mailbox. If there is a problem with the delivery of the
email at any point in this process, such as an incorrect email address, a full
mailbox, a blacklisted server, or a blocked email
domain, the email may “bounce” back to the sender.
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An Email Service Provider (ESP) is a third-party company that offers email
hosting and management services, allowing users to send, receive, and manage
emails. ESPs typically provide services by managing email servers and other
related systems.
Who can be an email service provider?
An Email Service Provider (ESP) can be any person, company or organization that
provides email hosting and management services. This can include:
- Single person running an email server for him/her or a group of persons like
family.
- An organisation or company running their own email system.
- Web hosting companies that offer email hosting as part of their hosting plans.
- Email marketing companies that specialize in email marketing campaigns and
provide features such as email creation, list management, and campaign
tracking.
- Internet service providers (ISPs)
that provide email accounts to their customers.
- Cloud-based email providers that offer email services through a web-based
interface or application.
- Enterprise-level email providers that offer advanced email management and
security features for large organizations.
In general, any person, company or organization that has the infrastructure and
expertise to provide reliable and secure email services can be an Email Service
Provider (ESP).
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Geofeed is a collection of IP networks accompanied by geolocation information
that is typically distributed in CSV format via an http(s) link. These links are
usually exchanged informally among trusted parties.
Geofeeds are published using https URLs using CSV file format. It consists of
four values per line:
- IP network in CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) format (e.g.
192.168.1.0/24)
- Country (optional): defined using a 2-letter ISO 3166-1 country code (e.g. DE
for Germany)
- Region (optional): defined using ISO 3166-2 region and country code (e.g.
DE-HE for Germany and Region Hessen.
- City (optional): defined using UTF-8 encoded text. It is recommended to use an
English version like Munich for German München.
By example such a feed can look like:
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An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company that provides internet access to
customers. It does this by providing a connection to the internet via a network
of servers, which allows users to access the web, send emails, and use other
internet services. ISPs can be large, national companies or smaller, local
providers.
Do ISPs provide email services?
Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) do offer email services to their
customers as part of their internet package. This means that when you sign up
for internet service with a particular ISP, you may also be given a unique email
address that you can use to send and receive emails. However, not all ISPs offer
email services, and you may need to use a separate email provider, to create and
manage your email accounts.
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IP blacklisting is a technique used by Internet Service Providers
(ISPs) and email providers to block
or filter incoming messages from IP addresses that have been identified as
sources of spam or other malicious activity. By blocking or filtering messages
from these IP addresses, ISPs and email providers can help
protect their users from spam and other unwanted email.
IP Blacklisting on local systems
IP blacklisting can be applied using configuration files in several different
ways, depending on the specific needs of the organization and the type of system
that is being used. Here are a few examples of how this might be done:
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An Mail Transfer Agent (MTA), is a software application responsible for the of
email messages between computer systems. The MTA is a critical component in the
email delivery process, ensuring that messages are routed correctly from the
sender to the recipient.
What is the role of an MTA?
The primary role of an MTA is to accept incoming email messages from a client
application or another MTA and deliver them to the appropriate recipient. This
process involves routing the message through the internet or a local network,
resolving any addressing issues, and ensuring that the message is delivered
successfully.
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A PTR record (Pointer record) is a type of DNS record used to map an IP address
to a domain name (e.g. 127.0.0.1 -> localhost). It enables reverse DNS
(rDNS) lookup, allowing you to find the associated
domain name for an IP address.
What is a Pointer Record (PTR) used for?
A PTR record is used for reverse DNS lookups. It
associates an IP address with a domain name, enabling identification of the
domain name associated with a given IP address. PTR records are commonly used
for verifying server identities, preventing email spam, and troubleshooting
network issues.
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Reverse DNS (rDNS) is a technique used to map an IP address to a domain name
using a Pointer (PTR) record. It involves querying
the DNS system in reverse, starting with the IP address, to retrieve the
associated domain name(e.g. 127.0.0.1 -> localhost). Reverse DNS is commonly
used for verifying server identities, preventing email spam, and troubleshooting
network issues.
What is a reverse DNS record used for?
A reverse DNS record, also known as a PTR (Pointer) record, is
used for reverse DNS lookups. It associates an IP address with a domain name,
enabling identification of the domain name associated with a given IP address.
Reverse DNS records are primarily used for verification of server identities,
preventing email spam, troubleshooting network issues, and establishing trust in
various online services.
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A Top Level Domain (TLD) is the last segment of a domain name, representing the
highest level in the domain name system. It typically consists of two or more
letters and indicates the purpose or geographical location of a website or
entity. Examples include .com, .org, and .net. TLDs help categorize and organize
websites on the internet, facilitating easy navigation and identification.
What are typical popular TLDs and their envisioned use case?
Here is a list of some typical Top Level Domains (TLDs) and their envisioned use
cases:
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