{"id":17514,"date":"2024-05-03T10:34:14","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T10:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.webhosting.uk.com\/kb\/?p=17514"},"modified":"2026-06-03T13:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T13:34:11","slug":"what-are-spf-records-and-how-to-set-an-spf-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.webhosting.uk.com\/kb\/what-are-spf-records-and-how-to-set-an-spf-record\/","title":{"rendered":"What are SPF records and how to set an SPF record"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are SPF records?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records are a type of DNS record that allows prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks by authenticating that the sending mail server is approved to send emails for a particular domain. SPF records identify which IP addresses or domains are permitted to send emails on behalf of a specific domain.<\/p>\n

To set up an SPF record, you need to access your domain\u2019s DNS settings via your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider.<\/p>\n

How to set an SPF record?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Follow the general guidelines to set up an SPF record-<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Comprehend your Domain\u2019s Email Infrastructure –
    \nBefore setting an SPF record, ensure you understand the email services you use and the servers that send emails on behalf of your domain. This might contain your own mail servers, third-party email facilities, marketing automation platforms, etc.<\/li>\n
  2. Create Your SPF Record –
    \nSPF records are TXT records in DNS. The syntax for an SPF record contains specifying which IP addresses or domains are allowed to send emails for your domain. You may use mechanisms like \u2018a\u2019 (for the domain\u2019s A record), \u2018mx\u2019 (for the domain\u2019s MX record), \u2018include\u2019 (to include SPF records from other domains), \u2018ip4\u2019 (for specifying IPv4 addresses), and ip6 (for specifying IPv6 addresses).Here is an example SPF record –<\/strong><\/p>\n
    v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com \r\ninclude:thirdparty.example.net ip4:192.0.2.0\/24 \u2013all<\/pre>\n
    In the above example-<\/p>\n
      \n
    1. \u00a0\u2018 v=spf1 \u2019 identifies the SPF version.<\/li>\n
    2. \u00a0\u2018include:_spf.example.com\u2019 includes SPF records from a different domain (e.g., your email service provider).<\/li>\n
    3. \u00a0\u2018include:thirdparty.example.net\u2019 includes SPF records from a different domain (e.g., a marketing automation platform).<\/li>\n
    4. \u00a0\u2018ip4:192.0.2.0\/24\u2019 lets the specified IPv4 address range to send emails for your domain.<\/li>\n
    5. \u00a0\u2018-all\u2019 specifies a strict policy to reject emails from sources not openly listed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
    6. Publish Your SPF Record –
      \nOnce you have created your SPF record, you need to publish it in your domain\u2019s DNS settings. This typically includes logging in to your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider\u2019s website and adding a new TXT record<\/a> with your SPF information.<\/li>\n
    7. Testing –
      \nAfter publishing your SPF record, it is a worthy idea to test it to confirm it is working as expected. Many online SPF checking tools accessible can help you verify your SPF record\u2019s syntax and effectiveness.<\/li>\n
    8. Monitoring and Maintenance –
      \nOccasionally review and update your SPF record as your email infrastructure changes. Keep an eye on SPF-related email delivery matters and adjust your record accordingly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      By setting up and maintaining an SPF record, you can help protect your domain and recipients from email spoofing and phishing attacks while improving email deliverability. Should you encounter any issues, feel free to contact our support staff.<\/p>\n
      Improving email deliverability and domain authentication?<\/strong>
      \nA       Business Email Hosting<\/a> solution provides professional email services with support for SPF, DKIM and DMARC to help protect your domain and improve email delivery.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
      What are SPF records? SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records are a type of DNS record that allows prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks by authenticating that the sending mail server…<\/p>\n
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