How TempMailGo Works
TempMailGo looks effortless — an address appears, and codes arrive. Under the hood it runs on the same email infrastructure the rest of the internet uses. Here’s the whole picture.
1. Domains with MX records we control
Every address ends in a domain. For a domain to receive email, its DNS must include MX (Mail Exchange) records pointing at a mail server. TempMailGo’s domains route all their mail to our inbound infrastructure — this is what makes real delivery possible and why a temp mail service can never be front-end only.
2. A catch-all mail server
Our servers are configured as catch-all, meaning they accept mail for any username at our domains. That’s why you can invent any address on the spot and still receive mail at it.
3. Inbound parsing via webhook
When mail arrives, it’s parsed into structured data — sender, subject, HTML and plain-text bodies, and attachments — and delivered to our application through a secure webhook. TempMailGo also scans each message for one-time codes so it can highlight OTPs automatically.
4. Temporary, TTL-based storage
Messages are stored in a fast store with a strict time-to-live, keyed to the recipient address. Nothing is kept longer than the inbox’s lifetime, and expired data is purged automatically.
5. Your live browser inbox
Your browser polls our API every few seconds for new mail. The instant something arrives, it appears in your inbox with no page reload. You can open any message to read the full HTML (rendered safely in a sandbox), the plain-text version, and attachment details.
6. Auto-expiry & save
When the timer hits zero, the mailbox and all its messages are deleted for good. Need longer? Extend with a click, or save a restore link / QR code to bring the same address back later.
| Layer | Role |
|---|---|
| DNS / MX records | Route incoming mail to our servers |
| Catch-all mail server | Accept mail for any username |
| Inbound webhook / API | Parse mail into structured JSON |
| TTL store (e.g. Redis) | Hold messages temporarily by address |
| REST API + polling | Deliver mail to your live inbox |
| Expiry job | Permanently delete on timeout |