{"id":1138,"date":"2021-04-07T13:49:51","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T10:49:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/?p=1138"},"modified":"2022-03-08T17:21:24","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T15:21:24","slug":"what-are-smtp-relays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/what-are-smtp-relays\/","title":{"rendered":"What are SMTP Relays?"},"content":{"rendered":"

SMTP Relays are the virtual equivalent of postal delivery services.<\/b> SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, and it involves the standard processes that allow you to send emails via the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to send bulk marketing or transactional emails for your business,<\/span> the SMTP relay service solves this problem<\/b> by delivering the outgoing mail to a mail server.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without network hiccups or other server technicalities, emails deliver instantly. However, in some cases, it might take a few days. Read on to know how SMTP relay service can be useful to your business.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Does SMTP Relay Work?<\/b><\/h2>\n

When you send an email via an <\/span>Email Service Provider (ESP)<\/b>, it connects and communicates to the configured SMTP server, after which it processes the message.<\/span><\/p>\n

This process is similar to the traditional mail service.<\/span><\/p>\n

When posting a mail, you address it to the receiver and fill in your return address. The local post office uses this information to pinpoint the closest post office to the recipient and sends your letter there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, when you send a mail via an ESP, it uses information such as <\/span>your email address, the recipient’s email address <\/b>(i.e., destination address), <\/span>your IP address, and timestamp to locate the SMTP server nearest to the receiver.<\/b><\/p>\n

That way, the SMTP server only delivers outgoing email but does not accept incoming email \u2014 that\u2019s the job of <\/span>POP3 and IMAP<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Mail Relay?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Mail Relay is the email transfer process from one server to another<\/span>. \u201cRelaying\u201d<\/b> is when a server accepts the delivered email from another server.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it’s not “relaying” when you send an email to someone using the same domain as you, as there won’t be<\/span> a second email server involved.<\/b><\/p>\n

Think of it as sending a local mail to someone in the same town as you. Your local post office does the entire delivery process without involving a third-party.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although mail relays involve other technicalities in transferring these emails<\/span> between email servers, this process sums up the general idea of how mail relay works.<\/b><\/p>\n

What is SMTP Relay Service?<\/b><\/h3>\n

SMTP relay service<\/b> is a managed service that helps your business send out transactional or bulk emails by routing emails through a trusted third party.<\/span><\/p>\n

These large or automated email batches may include newsletters, password resets, and delivery confirmations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When<\/span> the SMTP relay service receives a message from your local server<\/b>, it automatically queues it up for delivery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If the delivery is successful, it gets to the recipient\u2019s address. If it isn\u2019t, it bounces, generates a <\/span>\u201cNon-Delivery Report’<\/b>‘ <\/i><\/b>(NDR),<\/span><\/i> and returns it to you.<\/span><\/p>\n

This delivery process could take anything from seconds to hours or even days. When this happens, it means the main receiving SMTP server is having issues with email delivery.<\/span><\/p>\n

ESPs restrict the number of SMTP relays it conducts in a day to reduce <\/b>spam<\/b><\/a>. Your business may exceed this daily limit when sending important bulk emails \u2014 this is where we come in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We help you deliver transactional and bulk emails to your clients after checking your recipient’s domain reputation, spam traps, and email server configurations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is SMTP Relay Service Important?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The SMTP relay service is excellent when you <\/span>run an enterprise.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

While you may require little effort on your part to send single emails to a few clients, you’ll need an ESP that offers SMTP relays to send bulk email newsletters efficiently to clients.<\/span><\/p>\n

SMTP relays are also essential to avoid labeling your bulk emails as spam.<\/span> Peer-to-peer servers congest your bandwidth and disrupt email delivery rates.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Your need for customized email services increases as your business grows.<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

This includes:<\/b><\/p>\n