In case you have a shared website hosting plan and you create an email address, you might take the option to send out and receive messages for granted, but in fact, that isn't always the case. Sending e-mails isn't necessarily included in the website hosting packages that companies feature and an SMTP service is necessary to be able to do that. The abbreviation means Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and that is the set of scripts that enables you to send out e-mails. If you use an email app, it creates a connection to the SMTP server. The latter then searches the DNS data of the domain, which is a part of the receiving address to find out what email server deals with its email messages. After system data is exchanged, your SMTP server provides the message to the remote IMAP or POP server and then the e-mail is finally delivered in the related mailbox. An SMTP server is needed if you work with some kind of contact form too, so if you work with a cost-free hosting package, as an example, it is likely that you will not be able to use this type of form as most cost-free website hosting companies don't allow outgoing e-mails.