why build a local mail server?

[johnyb98]

Please, I try to understand the difference between web mail server and a local mail server. What is the difference between them?

 

Thank you!

[Master Disaster]

The only difference between them is the front end.

 

On the back end a mail server is a mail server, it handles POP, IMAP & SMTP to send and receive mails between clients.

 

A "local mail server" (or just a mail server) would be the back end only, users would be required to use something like Outlook or Thunderbird to connect to it.

 

A web mail server would be the back end server with a fancy web based frontend attached to it so users can connect to a URL, have a fancy web interface where they can login, view mails send mails etc. As a general rule web mails also support external client connections like Outlook too.

 

I advise anybody who wants to play around with setting up a mail server to do so offline. Incorrectly configured mail servers are used to spread malware and phishing attacks. Keep it on your local network only.

[johnyb98]

Thank you for the reply and information!

I have read about SMTP mail servers (if I am right they are also called MTA). How about them? I do not know if there are local MTAs, web MTAs or both.

 

Mail delivery/relay is made via MTAs. Where are they? They are somewhere on the internet? If someone has built a local mail server, from software side, local mail server has also a SMTP relay software? In this case, who makes mail message relays? My local SMTP s/w or a the web SMTP MTA? If only internet MTAs make transfer, so why build this local mail server? What should I win by that?