Skip to content

GLOSSARY

What is SPF?

DEFINITION

SPF is a DNS record listing which mail servers are allowed to send email using your domain name. When a message arrives claiming to be from you, the receiving server checks the sending server against that list.

A domain should have only one SPF record, and everything that sends email for you, such as your mailbox provider, your newsletter tool and your website's contact form service, needs to be included in it. SPF alone does not stop someone faking the name you see in the From line, which is why it is paired with DKIM and DMARC. Why it matters: If your SPF record is missing a sender, genuine emails from your own website or invoicing tool can land in spam or be rejected.

Explained in

    Related terms

    Rated by our clients

    Don't take our word for it.

    Some of the businesses we have worked with

    Your cookies, your call

    We use only the cookies this site needs to work. If you say yes, we also turn on Google Analytics to see what works, and our live chat, which records how you use the site so we can help you faster. Nothing optional runs until you choose. See our cookie policy.