What are the essential parts of an email address?

Every email address has three main components: a username (the mailbox), the @ symbol (the separator), and the domain (the host).

Example: kraken@deepseamail.com means kraken is the user and deepseamail.com is where that mailbox lives.

That domain must resolve to an active mail server or the address will fail. The TLD (.com, .org, etc.) carries less technical meaning but signals identity and trust.

Ray Tomlinson chose the @ symbol in 1971 when inventing network email because it meant "at" and was rarely used in names. It became one of the most recognized symbols in digital communication. The @ symbol even has a permanent place in MoMA's design collection.

Keep addresses clean, readable, and on brand; they often appear in CRMs, signatures, and compliance logs.