{"id":30686,"date":"2022-10-21T12:44:18","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T12:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/?p=30686"},"modified":"2025-07-30T12:01:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T12:01:33","slug":"how-to-create-an-spf-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/how-to-create-an-spf-record\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create an SPF Record"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s frightening to know that as many as <\/span>91% of all cybercrimes<\/span><\/a> start with a phishing email sent to a target. The figures have risen significantly post covid, making it important to secure email domains. But how can this be done?<\/span><\/p>\n

You can implement SPF, the first step towards DMARC compliance. You can also set up DKIM, and finally, DMARC\u2014an email authentication standard that prevents fraudulent emails using your company\u2019s domain name from being delivered.<\/span><\/p>\n

To set up SPF<\/a> correctly, you need to <\/span>create SPF records <\/b>for every domain your company uses to send emails from. This blog focuses on <\/span>how to create an SPF record <\/b>and its importance. First, let\u2019s see<\/span> what SPF is<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is SPF?<\/b><\/h2>\n

SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework, an email authentication protocol that permits only authorized IP addresses to deliver emails on your company\u2019s behalf. This means you can specify all trusted mail servers and third party email providers permitted to send emails using your company\u2019s domain or name.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need to <\/span>create an SPF record<\/b> for every sending domain and subdomain. It\u2019s a type of TXT record that gets published on your domain\u2019s DNS (domain name system). The SPF record contains a list of all authorized sending sources for a specific domain.<\/span><\/p>\n

But do you know <\/span>how an SPF record works<\/span><\/a>? When an email is sent, the recipient server verifies it using the SPF record and querying the domain\u2019s return-path value mentioned in the email header.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The return-path is a hidden email header that tells receiving servers where bounced emails should go and how they should be treated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The recipient server retrieves the SPF record from a particular domain\u2019s\u00a0 DNS server. It then checks if the sender\u2019s IP address contained in the return-path matches the list of IP addresses in the SPF record. This determines whether a sender is permitted to send emails from that domain or not. If yes, the SPF check passes, if not, it fails.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adding an SPF record to your DNS<\/span> is recommended<\/span> as bad actors will be less likely to use your domain as a spam vector. <\/span>Generating SPF records<\/b> for all your sending domains also improves overall deliverability rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Setting up the SPF Record<\/b><\/h2>\n

To <\/span>generate an SPF record<\/b>, you need to ensure there isn\u2019t a pre-existing record for your sending domain as only one is permitted. You can use EasyDMARC\u2019s free<\/span> SPF lookup tool<\/span><\/a> to check whether it\u2019s missing. If so, you can proceed with the steps listed below.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you already have an SPF record but configuration issues or other errors exist, you\u2019ll need to modify and update it to get it working properly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s see <\/span>how to create an SPF record<\/b> in five steps.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gather the IP Addresses For All Your Senders<\/b><\/h2>\n

To <\/span>generate an SPF record<\/span><\/a>, identify which mail servers your company uses for sending emails. Some organizations use multiple sources to send emails.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, to <\/span>create an SPF record<\/b>, first make a list of all sending mail servers and their respective IP addresses. Also consider all the entities authorized to send emails on your company\u2019s behalf. Your list may include:<\/span><\/p>\n