This is a list of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) response status codes. Status codes are issued by a server in response to a client's request made to the server.
Unless otherwise stated, all status codes described here is part of the current SMTP standard, . The message phrases shown are typical, but any human-readable alternative may be provided.
A "Basic Status Code" SMTP reply consists of a three digit number (transmitted as three numeric characters) followed by some text. The number is for use by automata (e.g., email clients) to determine what state to enter next; the text ("Text Part") is for the human user.
The first digit denotes whether the response is good, bad, or incomplete:
The second digit encodes responses in specific categories:
The Basic Status Codes have been in SMTP from the beginning, with in 1982, but were extended rather extensively, and haphazardly so that by 2003 rather grumpily noted that: "SMTP suffers some scars from history, most notably the unfortunate damage to the reply code extension mechanism by uncontrolled use."
defines a separate series of enhanced mail system status codes which is intended to be better structured, consisting of three numerical fields separated by ".", as follows:
class "." subject "." detail class = "2" / "4" / "5" subject = 1 to 3 digits detail = 1 to 3 digits
The classes are defined as follows:
In general the class identifier MUST match the first digit of the Basic Status Code to which it applies.
The subjects are defined as follows:
The meaning of the "detail" field depends on the class and the subject, and are listed in and .
A server capable of replying with an Enhanced Status Code MUST preface (prepend) the Text Part of SMTP Server responses with the Enhanced Status Code followed by one or more spaces. For example, the "221 Bye" reply (after QUIT command) MUST be sent as "221 2.0.0 Bye" instead.
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) maintains the official registry of these enhanced status codes.[1]
This section list some of the more commonly encountered SMTP Status Codes. This list is not exhaustive, and the actual text message (outside of the 3-field Enhanced Status Code) might be different.
211 System status, or system help reply
214 Help message (A response to the HELP command)
220
221
221 2.0.0 Goodbye
235 2.7.0 Authentication succeeded
240 QUIT
250 Requested mail action okay, completed
251 User not local; will forward
252 Cannot verify the user, but it will try to deliver the message anyway
334 (Server challenge - the text part contains the Base64-encoded challenge)
354 Start mail input
"Transient Negative" means the error condition is temporary, and the action may be requested again. The sender should return to the beginning of the command sequence (if any).
The accurate meaning of "transient" needs to be agreed upon between the two different sites (receiver- and sender-SMTP agents) must agree on the interpretation. Each reply in this category might have a different time value, but the SMTP client SHOULD try again.
421 Service not available, closing transmission channel (This may be a reply to any command if the service knows it must shut down)
432 4.7.12 A password transition is needed
450 Requested mail action not taken: mailbox unavailable (e.g., mailbox busy or temporarily blocked for policy reasons)
451 Requested action aborted: local error in processing
451 4.4.1 IMAP server unavailable
452 Requested action not taken: insufficient system storage
454 4.7.0 Temporary authentication failure
455 Server unable to accommodate parameters
The SMTP client SHOULD NOT repeat the exact request (in the same sequence). Even some "permanent" error conditions can be corrected, so the human user may want to direct the SMTP client to reinitiate the command sequence by direct action at some point in the future.
500 Syntax error, command unrecognized (This may include errors such as command line too long)
500 5.5.6 Authentication Exchange line is too long
501 Syntax error in parameters or arguments
501 5.5.2 Cannot Base64-decode Client responses
501 5.7.0 Client initiated Authentication Exchange (only when the SASL mechanism specified that client does not begin the authentication exchange)
502 Command not implemented
503 Bad sequence of commands
504 Command parameter is not implemented
504 5.5.4 Unrecognized authentication type
521 Server does not accept mail
523 Encryption Needed
530 5.7.0 Authentication required
534 5.7.9 Authentication mechanism is too weak
535 5.7.8 Authentication credentials invalid
538 5.7.11 Encryption required for requested authentication mechanism
550 Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable (e.g., mailbox not found, no access, or command rejected for policy reasons)
551 User not local; please try
552 Requested mail action aborted: exceeded storage allocation
553 Requested action not taken: mailbox name not allowed
554 Transaction has failed (Or, in the case of a connection-opening response, "No SMTP service here")
554 5.3.4 Message too big for system
556 Domain does not accept mail
Below is an example SMTP connection, where a client "C" is sending to server "S":
S: 220 smtp.example.com ESMTP Postfix C: HELO relay.example.com S: 250 smtp.example.com, I am glad to meet you C: MAIL FROM:And below is an example of an SMTP connection in which the SMTP Server supports the Enhanced Status Code, taken from :
S: 220 dbc.mtview.ca.us SMTP service ready C: EHLO ymir.claremont.edu S: 250-dbc.mtview.ca.us says hello S: 250 ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES C: MAIL FROM: