Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match
-
This came up from an email admin who doesn't know email basics and is causing us a lot of headaches. Found this good resource explaining why SMTP mail and mailfrom fields don't need to match.
There are many reasons why the Header and Envelope From addresses may not match. Most concern automated processes sending mail, where delivery issues need to be reported to an address that is not representative of who sent the mail, or who it was sent on behalf of, or who should be replied to. Mailing lists as you've pointed out are a good example.
The main reason why a message sent from a user's mail client might have differing from addresses is forwarded mail. The mail content should then be reasonably faithful to the original, but in case of delivery errors, those should be reported to the user who forwarded the email, not the original sender...
-
This seems like an odd thing to believe.
-
@DustinB3403 said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
This seems like an odd thing to believe.
I know, right?
-
@scottalanmiller said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
email admin who doesn't know email basics
This makes me question the admins qualifications. Maybe their new and still learning their role?
-
@NerdyDad said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
@scottalanmiller said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
email admin who doesn't know email basics
This makes me question the admins qualifications. Maybe their new and still learning their role?
No kidding. We are seriously questioning the qualifications of the person who brought this up.
-
So the admin was saying that the Email and mail from needed to match?
-
@dbeato said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
So the admin was saying that the Email and mail from needed to match?
No, that the from and mailfrom fields need to match in the header. Makes no sense. Clearly doesn't grasp how email works.
-
@scottalanmiller said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
@dbeato said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
So the admin was saying that the Email and mail from needed to match?
No, that the from and mailfrom fields need to match in the header. Makes no sense. Clearly doesn't grasp how email works.
Yeah, that doesn’t make sense.
-
@scottalanmiller said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
@dbeato said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
So the admin was saying that the Email and mail from needed to match?
No, that the from and mailfrom fields need to match in the header. Makes no sense. Clearly doesn't grasp how email works.
Nice to know I wasn't the only one totally getting it.
-
@pmoncho said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
@scottalanmiller said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
@dbeato said in Email Fields mail and mailfrom Need Not Match:
So the admin was saying that the Email and mail from needed to match?
No, that the from and mailfrom fields need to match in the header. Makes no sense. Clearly doesn't grasp how email works.
Nice to know I wasn't the only one totally getting it.
We are pretty sure that they are out of their minds. I can't believe that they thought that we would buy this.
-
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5322#section-3.6.2
Originator Fields
The originator fields of a message consist of the from field, the
sender field (when applicable), and optionally the reply-to field.
The from field consists of the field name "From" and a comma-
separated list of one or more mailbox specifications. If the from
field contains more than one mailbox specification in the mailbox-
list, then the sender field, containing the field name "Sender" and a
single mailbox specification, MUST appear in the message. In either
case, an optional reply-to field MAY also be included, which contains
the field name "Reply-To" and a comma-separated list of one or more
addresses.from = "From:" mailbox-list CRLF
sender = "Sender:" mailbox CRLF
reply-to = "Reply-To:" address-list CRLF
The originator fields indicate the mailbox(es) of the source of the
message. The "From:" field specifies the author(s) of the message,
that is, the mailbox(es) of the person(s) or system(s) responsible
for the writing of the message. The "Sender:" field specifies the
mailbox of the agent responsible for the actual transmission of the
message. For example, if a secretary were to send a message for
another person, the mailbox of the secretary would appear in the
"Sender:" field and the mailbox of the actual author would appear in
the "From:" field. If the originator of the message can be indicated by a single mailbox and the author and transmitter are identical, the "Sender:" field SHOULD NOT be used. Otherwise, both fields SHOULD appear.Note: The transmitter information is always present. The absence
of the "Sender:" field is sometimes mistakenly taken to mean that
the agent responsible for transmission of the message has not been
specified. This absence merely means that the transmitter is
identical to the author and is therefore not redundantly placed
into the "Sender:" field.The originator fields also provide the information required when
replying to a message. When the "Reply-To:" field is present, it
indicates the address(es) to which the author of the message suggests
that replies be sent. In the absence of the "Reply-To:" field,
replies SHOULD by default be sent to the mailbox(es) specified in the
"From:" field unless otherwise specified by the person composing the
reply.In all cases, the "From:" field SHOULD NOT contain any mailbox that
does not belong to the author(s) of the message. See also section
3.6.3 for more information on forming the destination addresses for a
reply.
