{"id":30492,"date":"2022-10-13T11:35:44","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T11:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/?p=30492"},"modified":"2025-08-12T15:15:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T15:15:39","slug":"what-are-dkim-tags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/what-are-dkim-tags\/","title":{"rendered":"What are DKIM Tags?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re reading this, you want to learn about DKIM tags but first: <\/span>What is DKIM?<\/span><\/a> It\u2019s an email verification standard that uses an encrypted digital signature. It\u2019s also a critical component of any DMARC authentication policy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A properly configured DKIM signature<\/a> helps email service providers verify your domain. Companies like Google and Yahoo use DKIM! And others to check whether messages are authentic.<\/p>\n

Recipient servers use data in the header of an email and a domain\u2019s <\/span>DKIM record<\/span><\/a> to ascertain the legitimacy of a message.<\/span><\/p>\n

A DKIM signature header goes at the top of the message. Thanks to several <\/span>DKIM tags<\/b> containing information about the sender, receiving servers know where to look to verify an email.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The tags are informational elements representing specific values. Each value indicates bits of information detailing everything there is to know about the body of the message.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All DomainKeys included in DKIM<\/a> have a private key to encrypt the digital DKIM signature and a public key published in a domain\u2019s DNS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When a message is sent from your domain, the private key in your emails must match the public key for delivery to the recipient\u2019s inbox.. This process doesn’t take more than a few seconds, but it only works if you <\/span>create a DKIM record<\/span><\/a> with the correct <\/span>DKIM signature tags<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a Tag in the DKIM Record?<\/b><\/h2>\n

DKIM signature tags<\/b> are single letters used as commands, followed by an equal sign. Each letter included in a <\/span>DKIM tag<\/b> has a designated value denoting different pieces of intel about an email sender. These tags also offer details about the message contained in the email and the location of the public key used to authenticate the message.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DKIM Tag Types<\/b><\/h3>\n

As you learn more about <\/span>how DKIM records work<\/span> and <\/span>DKIM DNS record tags<\/b>, you’ll find there are many informal elements. The best way to classify them is by required tags and optional tags.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The value of each determines its usefulness in your DKIM record. There are also a few tags that can be categorized as \u2018not required\u2019 or \u2018not recommended.\u2019 They get these denominations depending on the instances of their use or the requirements of your domain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you <\/span>add a DKIM record to your DNS<\/span><\/a>, you\u2019ll need the correct <\/span>DKIM DNS tags<\/b>. Below you\u2019ll find what each one means and how it\u2019s used.<\/span><\/p>\n

Required Tags<\/b><\/h3>\n

Required <\/span>DKIM signature tags<\/b> are essential to any DKIM signature header. If you don’t include these tags, your messages will fail verification and be discarded.<\/span><\/p>\n