DNS, email and security
SPF record
An SPF record is a DNS entry that lists the servers allowed to send email for a domain, so receivers can spot mail that is faked.
What SPF record means in practice
SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework. A receiving mail server looks up the domain in the sender's address and checks whether the sending server is on the list.
SPF works best together with dkim and dmarc. A domain that sends no mail should say so with a record that allows nothing.
Why it matters
Without SPF, DKIM and DMARC, mail from your domain is more likely to go to spam, and criminals find it easier to send mail that pretends to be you.
Try it
- Domain Health Check Expiry date, transfer lock, DNS, SPF and DMARC email security, and blocklists for a .com.
Related terms
- DKIM DKIM adds a digital signature to outgoing email, checked against a public key published in the sender's DNS, so receivers can tell the message was not altered.
- DMARC DMARC is a DNS policy that tells receiving mail servers what to do with email that fails SPF or DKIM checks, and where to send reports about it.
- DNS (Domain Name System) DNS is the internet's phone book: it turns a domain name into the addresses and settings that browsers and mail servers need to reach it.