SMTP 421 Service Not Available vs 503 Bad Sequence
SMTP 421 (Service Not Available) is a 4xx Transient Negative response, while 503 (Bad Sequence) is a 5xx Permanent Negative response. 421 indicates that the SMTP service is not available and the server is closing the transmission channel. This may be sent as a greeting or during a session if the server needs to shut down. In contrast, 503 means that the commands were sent in the wrong order. SMTP requires a specific command sequence (EHLO, MAIL FROM, RCPT TO, DATA) and this error indicates a step was skipped or repeated.
描述
The SMTP service is not available and the server is closing the transmission channel. This may be sent as a greeting or during a session if the server needs to shut down.
何时出现
When connecting to a mail server that is overloaded, undergoing maintenance, or shutting down. The server cannot handle your request right now.
如何修复
Retry the connection after a delay. If the issue persists, check server status and resources (CPU, memory, disk). Rate limiting or greylisting may also trigger this response.
描述
The commands were sent in the wrong order. SMTP requires a specific command sequence (EHLO, MAIL FROM, RCPT TO, DATA) and this error indicates a step was skipped or repeated.
何时出现
When sending DATA before RCPT TO, or MAIL FROM before EHLO. The server enforces the correct SMTP command sequence and you have sent a command out of order.
如何修复
Follow the proper SMTP command sequence: EHLO/HELO first, then MAIL FROM, then RCPT TO (one or more), then DATA. Reset with RSET if you need to start over.
主要区别
421 is a 4xx Transient Negative response, while 503 is a 5xx Permanent Negative response.
SMTP 421: The SMTP service is not available and the server is closing the transmission channel. This may be sent as a greeting or during a session if the server needs to shut down.
SMTP 503: The commands were sent in the wrong order. SMTP requires a specific command sequence (EHLO, MAIL FROM, RCPT TO, DATA) and this error indicates a step was skipped or repeated.
You encounter 421 when when connecting to a mail server that is overloaded, undergoing maintenance, or shutting down. The server cannot handle your request right now.
You encounter 503 when when sending DATA before RCPT TO, or MAIL FROM before EHLO. The server enforces the correct SMTP command sequence and you have sent a command out of order.
何时使用哪个
For 421 (Service Not Available): Retry the connection after a delay. If the issue persists, check server status and resources (CPU, memory, disk). Rate limiting or greylisting may also trigger this response. For 503 (Bad Sequence): Follow the proper SMTP command sequence: EHLO/HELO first, then MAIL FROM, then RCPT TO (one or more), then DATA. Reset with RSET if you need to start over.