What happens when a message arrives

This is the path a message takes when someone sends it to an address on @themailinator.com. It describes this site. It is not a promise that every step succeeds for every sender.

The sender's side

The sender's mail service looks up our domain and hands the message to the route configured for it. If that service blocks the domain, or if the message is too large for the route, it may never arrive. This site cannot show mail that never reached it. A success message inside your own app only means your app tried to send. It does not mean the inbox has the copy yet.

Storage

When the route delivers a message, the site stores the recipient, the sender, the subject, a received time, and the message itself. The inbox page reads that store for the address you opened. The newest stored messages are shown first, up to a short list. It is not a full archive of every message the domain has ever accepted.

The page you see

The list shows the subject, the sender, and the time. Open a row for the text. If a formatted part exists, you can load it separately. The page refreshes on its own while it is open. A refresh can fail if the network fails, and the last list stays on the screen so you do not lose the copy you already had.

What we do not do on that path

We do not send a reply. We do not notify you on some other channel. We do not turn the message into a private account. We do not promise how long the row will remain. If you need those things, this is the wrong stop on the path. The checklist before you send is the practical companion to this description.