InboxBurn Blog

How Disposable Email Works: Behind the Scenes

A technical look at how temporary email services work — from MX records to auto-deletion. Simple enough for anyone.

The Basics

A disposable email service gives you a working email address that receives real emails but automatically deletes everything after a set period. Here is how it works under the hood.

Step 1: Domain and MX Records

The service owns one or more domains (e.g., inboxburn.com). The domain's MX (Mail Exchange) records point to the service's mail servers. This tells the internet "send all email for this domain to our servers."

Step 2: Catch-All Configuration

The mail server is configured as a catch-all — it accepts email sent to *any* address at the domain. Whether you use \[email protected]\ or \[email protected]\, the server accepts it.

Step 3: Real-Time Delivery

When an email arrives, the server:

  • Parses the recipient address.
  • Stores the email temporarily in a database.
  • Pushes a notification to the browser via WebSocket so it appears instantly — no polling or refreshing needed.

    • Step 4: Auto-Deletion

    A background job runs continuously, checking for expired addresses. When an address reaches its expiry time:

  • All associated emails are permanently deleted from the database.
  • The address becomes available for reuse.
  • No backups are kept — deletion is irreversible.

    • Security Measures

  • No authentication required — anyone who knows the address can view its inbox. This is by design; it is meant for throwaway use, not sensitive communication.
  • HTTPS encryption — all traffic between your browser and InboxBurn is encrypted.
  • No logs — InboxBurn does not log IP addresses or browsing activity.

    • Architecture Summary

    See it in action — create a disposable email →