Linux · Mail Server: Postfix

For a mail domain you see CNAME entries like imap, smtp, and pop pointing at the mail host. Are these required for mail to work, and what are they actually for?

Sign in to see the full answer — free to start on the web.

This is one card from the KnowCard library. The full way to learn it — spaced-repetition review, progress tracking, and AI explanations — lives in the KnowCard app, free to start on the web. iOS & Android are coming soon.

Get started — it’s free

Already have an account? Sign in →

More in Mail Server: Postfix

A colleague says the mail transfer agent is the whole email server and drops mail into users' inboxes. Where is that wrong, and what actually does the local delivery?

In mail-server terminology, what do MUA, MDA, MTA, and SASL each stand for, and which one is the client program the user actually sees?

A user wants their mail to stay in sync across a laptop, phone, and tablet. Between POP and IMAP, which fits, and what is the core difference that decides it?

You are configuring a mail client and must pick the right port. Which port is for server-to-server SMTP, and which is the submission port that clients should use to send mail?

When storing incoming mail, what is the practical difference between mbox and maildir format, and which one is recommended alongside an IMAP server?

You add an entry to /etc/aliases to redirect root's local mail to your own account, but nothing changes. What step was missed?