Verp - What is a Verp Address?

Verp addresses are most often used in mailing lists for providing mailing lists with a way to manage bounce messages. When a mailing list server sends an email they use the verp address in the return path of the address. Then if the message bounces the bounce is sent to the verp address. Since the verp address points to the mailing list, the mailing list can then remove the address from their list.

What does a Verp Address look like?

Typically there is a verp prefix, followed by the final recipient user, then a verp delimiter followed by the final reipient domain which is followed by an at/@ symbol and the mailing list domain.

Example Verp Address

verp-prefix-username=userdomain.com@mailinglistserver.com

What does the mailing list server do with the verp address bounce?

When a mailing list server gets a message sent to a verp address it will usually remove the address from the mailing list, or put it into some sort of removal queue. The verp prefix is used to determine that the message is indeed a verp message.

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