SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

Sitecheck Team

A DNS record that specifies which mail servers are authorised to send email for a domain.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a TXT record that lists the mail servers authorised to send email on behalf of a domain. Receiving mail servers check the SPF record to verify the sending server is legitimate.

Why it matters: Without SPF, spammers can easily forge your domain in the "From" address, damaging your email reputation and causing legitimate emails to be marked as spam.

Quick tips:

  • Keep your SPF record under 10 DNS lookups to avoid permerror.
  • Use ~all (softfail) during initial setup; switch to -all (hard fail) once all legitimate senders are covered.
  • Combine with DKIM and DMARC for comprehensive email authentication.

See also: DKIM, DMARC, DNS TXT Record.