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Glossary Security

SPF

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS record listing which servers may send email for a domain.

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In more detail

Receivers compare the connecting server's IP address with the list in the envelope sender's domain and treat mail from other sources according to the ending (-all fail, ~all soft fail). A record may cause at most 10 DNS lookups, and a domain must have only one. SPF alone does not protect the visible From address: that takes DMARC.

Try these tools

SPF Record Generator

Build an SPF record from your mail servers, IP ranges and providers like Google or Microsoft.

Email Deliverability Checker

Check a domain's SPF, DMARC, and MX DNS records to verify its email deliverability configuration.

See also

  • Glossary DKIM
    DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to outgoing email that receivers verify with a public key published in DNS.
  • Glossary DMARC
    DMARC is a DNS policy that tells receivers what to do with email that fails SPF and DKIM alignment, and where to send reports about it.
  • Glossary MX record
    An MX (mail exchanger) record is a DNS record that names the servers that accept email for a domain, with a priority number.
  • Guide How Email Authentication Works: SPF, DKIM and DMARC
    What SPF, DKIM and DMARC each check, what their DNS records look like.
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