DNS SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records are a type of TXT record used to specify which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of a domain. SPF records help prevent email spoofing and improve email deliverability by providing a mechanism for receiving mail servers to verify the legitimacy of incoming emails.
SPF records contain a list of IP addresses, IP ranges, and hostname patterns that are authorized to send email for a domain. When an email is received, the receiving mail server can check the SPF record of the sender's domain to verify whether the email originated from an authorized source.
SPF records are implemented as TXT records in DNS and follow a specific syntax that includes mechanisms like "include:", "a:", "mx:", and "ip4:" or "ip6:" to define authorized senders. The record also includes a policy directive that tells receiving servers what to do if the SPF check fails.
When a mail server receives an email, it extracts the domain from the sender's email address and looks up the SPF record for that domain. The mail server then checks whether the IP address of the sending mail server is listed as authorized in the SPF record. Based on this check and the SPF policy, the receiving server decides how to handle the email.
SPF policies can be set to "pass" (allow), "fail" (reject), "softfail" (accept but mark as suspicious), or "neutral" (no policy). A typical SPF record might look like: "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ip4:192.168.1.0/24 -all", which authorizes Google's mail servers and a specific IP range while rejecting all other senders.
SPF records are most effective when used alongside other email authentication mechanisms like DKIM and DMARC. Together, these technologies provide comprehensive protection against email spoofing and phishing attacks while ensuring legitimate emails are delivered successfully.
Here's what an SPF record looks like for the domain example.com:
