Editing Message transfer agent (section)

{{Short description|Software to transfer electronic mail}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
Within the Internet [[email]] system, a '''message transfer agent''' ('''MTA'''),<ref>MTA=Message Transfer Agent (similar to X.400 name) is found, e.g., in RFC 1506, RFC 2476, RFC 3461, RFC 3464, RFC 3865, RFC 3888, RFC 6409, RFC 5598.</ref> '''mail transfer agent''',<ref>MTA=Mail Transfer Agent (similar to Mail Transfer Protocol) is found, e.g., in RFC 2298, RFC 2305, RFC 3804, RFC 3798, RFC 4496, RFC 5442, RFC 5429.</ref> or '''mail relay''' is [[software]] that transfers electronic mail messages from one computer to another using the [[Simple Mail Transfer Protocol]].<ref>
RFC 5598, ''Internet Mail Architecture'', D. Crocker (July 2009).
</ref> In some contexts, the alternative names '''mail server''', '''mail exchanger''', or '''MX host''' are used to describe an MTA.

Messages exchanged across networks are passed between mail servers, including any attached data files (such as images, multimedia, or documents). These servers often keep mailboxes for email. Access to this email by end users is typically either by [[webmail]] or an [[email client]].