Test imap using telnet

For added security, you can encrypt your IMAP connection. This requires that your server supports SSL or TLS and that you have access to an SSL/TLS client program, for example OpenSSL, to use instead of telnet.

As the port-number normally is 993, an example OpenSSL command would be openssl s_client -connect imap.example.com:993 -quiet. (If you would like to see the public key of the server, as well as some other encryption-related information, omit -quiet.) The server should then start an IMAP session, displaying a greeting such as the * OK Dovecot ready example below.

telnet imap.example.com 143

#output: Trying 193.136.28.29...
#output: Connected to imap.example.com.
#output: Escape character is '^]'.
#output: * OK Dovecot ready.

a1 LOGIN MyUsername MyPassword
#output: a1 OK Logged in.

a2 LIST "" "*"
#output: * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX"
#output: a2 OK List completed.

a3 EXAMINE INBOX
#output: * FLAGS (\Answered \Flagged \Deleted \Seen \Draft)
#output: * OK [PERMANENTFLAGS ()] Read-only mailbox.
#output: * 1 EXISTS
#output: * 1 RECENT
#output: * OK [UNSEEN 1] First unseen.
#output: * OK [UIDVALIDITY 1257842737] UIDs valid
#output: * OK [UIDNEXT 2] Predicted next UID
#output: a3 OK [READ-ONLY] Select completed.

a4 FETCH 1 BODY[]
#output: * 1 FETCH (BODY[] {405}
#output: Return-Path: sender@example.com
#output: Received: from client.example.com ([192.0.2.1])
#output:    by mx1.example.com with ESMTP
#output:    id <20040120203404.CCCC18555.mx1.example.com@client.example.com>
#output:    for <recipient@example.com>; Tue, 20 Jan 2004 22:34:24 +0200
#output: From: sender@example.com
#output: Subject: Test message
#output: To: recipient@example.com
#output: Message-Id: <20040120203404.CCCC18555.mx1.example.com@client.example.com>
#output:
#output: This is a test message.
#output: )
#output: a4 OK Fetch completed.

a5 LOGOUT
#output: * BYE Logging out
#output: a5 OK Logout completed.