In case you have a cloud web hosting package and you set up an email address, you might consider the option to send out and receive emails for granted, however, that isn't always the case. Sending e-mail messages isn't always a part of the website hosting plans that companies have and an SMTP service is necessary to be capable to do that. The abbreviation means Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and this is the software application that allows you to send e-mail messages. If you are using an email program, it connects to the SMTP server. The latter then queries the DNS data of the domain name, that is a part of the receiving address to find out what email server deals with its e-mails. After some system information is swapped, your SMTP server provides the email to the remote IMAP or POP server and the e-mail is finally delivered in the matching mailbox. An SMTP server is required if you use some sort of contact page form also, so in case you work with a free of charge hosting package, for instance, it is likely that you will not be able to make use of this type of form as most no charge website hosting service providers don't allow outgoing e-mail messages.