Understanding E-mail Headers: What Information do They Contain?
Introduction
E-mail headers are an essential part of every email you send and receive. They contain a wealth of information that can give insight into the journey your email takes from the sender to the recipient. However, for the uninitiated, investigating an email header can be confusing and overwhelming. In this article, we’ll break down the important elements that make up an email header and what they mean.
Email Header Basics
To begin, an email header is the set of instructions at the top of every email that tells servers how to process it. It includes the sender and recipient’s email addresses, the date and time the email was sent, the subject line, and other information that helps route the email to its destination.
Elements of an Email Header
Here are the vital elements of an email header that you should know:
From
The “From” field is the email address of the sender. It allows the recipient to identify who the email came from and provides contact information for future communication.
To
The “To” field is the email address of the recipient. It’s where the email is directed towards.
Subject
The “subject” field is the line that summarizes the topic of the email. It’s what the recipient sees in their inbox before opening the email.
Date and Time
The “date and time” field indicates when the email was sent. This information is useful in determining the timeliness of a message or detecting delays.
Cc and Bcc
The “Cc” and “Bcc” fields are optional. “Cc,” or “Carbon Copy,” allows the sender to include another recipient without making them the main point of the email. “Bcc,” or “Blind Carbon Copy,” allows the sender to include another recipient secretly, without informing the primary recipient.
Advanced Elements of an Email Header
Email headers also contain advanced elements that are useful for analyzing and troubleshooting email delivery issues.
Message-ID
The “Message-ID” is a unique identifier assigned to each email by the server. It allows recipients to identify the message and track its journey through servers.
Received
The “Received” field indicates the route a message has taken from the sender’s server to the recipient’s server. Multiple “Received” fields may be included, indicating the message’s hop-by-hop path.
X-Mailer
The “X-Mailer” field indicates the email client software used by the sender to compose the message.
Why Understanding Email Headers is Important
Understanding email headers is essential for a variety of reasons. For example, if you receive a suspicious email, checking the email header can give you valuable clues to determine if the email’s sender and content are fraudulent. Additionally, email headers can help you troubleshoot email delivery issues, identify server problems, and confirm the legitimacy of emails.
Conclusion
Email headers contain vital information that can be used to analyze email delivery, troubleshoot issues, and determine the authenticity of emails. In summary, every email should be closely scrutinized to obtain a better comprehension of its journey from sender to recipient. A comprehensive understanding of email headers can help you stay safe online and improve your email communication.
