How does SMTP handle attachments and MIME types?

How does SMTP handle attachments and MIME types?

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) handles attachments and MIME types by encoding them in a way that ensures compatibility and proper delivery of emails with attachments. Here is how SMTP handles attachments and MIME types:

1. Encoding attachments: SMTP uses MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) to encode attachments. This encoding process ensures that attachments are properly formatted and can be sent over email without any issues. Common encoding methods include base64 and quoted-printable.
2. Setting MIME types: SMTP includes the MIME type information in the email header. This information specifies the type of content being sent (e.g. text, image, video) so that the recipient's email client can interpret and display it correctly.
3. Handling multipart messages: SMTP can send multipart messages that include both text and attachments. This allows for a rich email experience with attachments seamlessly integrated into the message.
4. Transmission of attachments: Once the attachments are encoded and MIME types are set, SMTP sends the email with attachments as part of the message payload. The recipient's email client then decodes the attachments and displays them accordingly.

Overall, SMTP efficiently handles attachments and MIME types to ensure that emails with attachments are delivered correctly and can be viewed by the recipient as intended.