metasystema.org
ObsoletedPROPOSED STANDARDIETF stream

RFC 2821: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

This RFC has been replaced. Do not implement against it for new work — it was formally obsoleted by RFC 5321.

Current document in this lineage: RFC 5321 — Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

In plain English — editorial summary, not part of the RFC

This document is a self-contained specification of the basic protocol for the Internet electronic mail transport. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

Document record

Document ID
RFC2821
Published
April 2001
Authors
J. Klensin
Status
PROPOSED STANDARD
Stream
IETF
Area
app
Pages
79
Also known as
—
Obsoletes:
RFC 821, RFC 974, RFC 1869
Obsoleted by:
RFC 5321
Updated by:
RFC 5336

Topics

Standards lineage

This document is one revision in a chain of 10 RFCs, each formally replacing the one before it.

  1. RFC 772 (1980)
  2. RFC 780 (1981)
  3. RFC 788 (1981)
  4. RFC 821 (1982)
  5. RFC 974 (1986)
  6. RFC 1425 (1993)
  7. RFC 1651 (1994)
  8. RFC 1869 (1995)
  9. RFC 2821 (2001)
  10. RFC 5321 (2008) ✓

Read the full history of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol →

Referenced by

2 later RFCs formally update or obsolete part of this document.

Related documents

Ranked automatically by shared keywords, IETF area and stream — not by editorial selection.

Also filed under

About this page

The document record above — title, authors, date, status, stream, area, relationships, DOI and errata — is imported verbatim from the public RFC Editor index. The “in plain English” section is editorial: written by The metasystema editorial team, not part of the RFC. Where the two differ, the RFC text governs.

Last checked against the RFC Editor index on . RFCs are never revised after publication; changes are issued as new documents.

Data sources · Editorial policy · Report a correction · What is an RFC?

canonical URL: /rfc/2821-simple-mail-transfer-protocol