Step by Step Understanding SPF and its Purpose

1. Understanding SPF and its Purpose

SPF (Sender Policy Framework): is an email authentication standard that helps prevent email spoofing by verifying the sender’s legitimacy.

It specifies which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
By setting up an SPF record, you can ensure that only legitimate senders are allowed to use your domain in the “from” field of emails.

2. Steps to Set Up an SPF Record

Identify Your Domain Host: Find out where you registered your domain name (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare).

Log In to Your Domain Host Account: Access your domain management panel.
Navigate to DNS Settings: Locate the section where you can manage your domain’s DNS records.
Create a New TXT Record:
- Select the “TXT” record type.
Host: Enter the domain name (e.g., @ for the main domain).
Value: Paste the SPF record value provided by your email provider or generated by a tool.
Example: v=spf1 include:zohomail.com ~all
Example: v=spf1 a mx include:exampledomain.com ~all
TTL (Time to Live): Leave the default or specify a value (e.g., 3600).
Save the Record: Click “Save” or “Add Record” to publish the SPF TXT record.
Verify the Record: Use an SPF checker tool (like EasyDMARC) to ensure your SPF record is valid and correctly configured.

3. Important Considerations

Multiple SPF Records:

Ensure you only have one SPF record per domain; having multiple records can cause problems.

Email Providers:

Some email providers (like Google Workspace, Zoho Mail, Microsoft 365) provide specific SPF record values or guides for their users.
SPF Record Syntax:

The basic syntax of an SPF record is v=spf1 <valid mail sources> <enforcement rule>.
Enforcement Rule:

The enforcement rule (e.g., -all or ~all) determines how receiving mail servers should handle emails that don’t match the SPF record.
-all (hard fail): Receiving servers should reject emails from unauthorized senders.
~all (soft fail): Receiving servers should mark emails from unauthorized senders as suspicious but may still deliver them.
DNS Propagation:

It can take some time (up to 72 hours) for DNS changes to propagate across the internet.