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What You'll Learn
Every email has a structure that makes it understandable by humans and machines. From the subject line you see in your inbox to the invisible headers that carry technical details, each part plays a role in making sure your message is delivered, displayed, and understood.
📖 Anatomy of an Email
Lesson 3
2 min read
Interactive
The Basic Structure of an Email
An email is not just text—it has multiple layers:
- 1. Headers → Hidden data that tells email servers and clients about the sender, recipient, routing, and technical details.
- 2. Subject → The short title that appears in your inbox.
- 3. Body → The main content, either plain text or formatted with HTML.
- 4. Attachments → Files included with the message.
- 5. MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) → The standard that allows emails to handle rich content like images, styled text, and attachments.
1. Headers (the invisible backbone)
Headers are like the envelope details on a physical letter. Some important ones:
- From: Who sent the email.
- To: Who should receive it.
- Date: When it was sent.
- Subject: Title of the email.
- Message-ID: A unique identifier.
- Received: Shows the path the email took across servers.
(There are many others, like Reply-To, CC, BCC, Return-Path, but these are the basics.)
2. Subject Line (the first impression)
- The subject line decides whether your email gets opened.
- Best practice: Keep it clear, short, and relevant.
3. Body (the message itself)
- Can be Plain Text (basic, universally supported).
- Or HTML (allows formatting, colors, links, images).
- Good practice: Always send both plain text and HTML versions for compatibility.
4. Attachments
- Any file can be attached (PDF, image, audio, etc.).
- Attachments are encoded in a special format so they can travel safely across email systems.
5. MIME (Making Emails Smarter)
Before MIME, emails could only send plain text.
With MIME:
- Attachments are possible.
- Emails can mix text, images, and styles.
- Different languages/scripts can be used.
In short, MIME turned emails from “letters” into “multimedia packages.”
🥋 Sensei Tip:
Think of an email like a package delivered by courier:
- Headers = the label on the box (who it’s from, where it’s going, tracking info).
- Subject = a sticky note on the box that says “What’s inside.”
- Body = the actual contents of the package.
- Attachments = extra gifts tucked inside.
- MIME = the packaging technology that lets you fit anything inside safely.
Master the anatomy of an email, and you’ll never be confused by what’s under the hood again.
⏱️ Est. reading time: 2 minutes
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