Like POP3, IMAP is used to receive emails from an email server. The latest version of IMAP is IMAP4. IMAP4 stands for Internet Message Access Protocol version 4. IMAP4 uses TCP port 143.
Mail is accessed and stored on a central server. IMAP4 adds more features over POP3 such as support for folders and server side searches. IMAP4 also allows you to access an email mailbox from multiple devices.
