{"id":56325,"date":"2025-12-10T12:55:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T12:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/?p=56325"},"modified":"2026-01-19T08:22:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T08:22:23","slug":"what-is-spf-flattening-how-to-avoid-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/what-is-spf-flattening-how-to-avoid-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is SPF Flattening? How to Avoid it?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SPF flattening is a method used to simplify an SPF record by replacing all \u201cinclude\u201d mechanisms with their corresponding IP addresses. The idea behind SPF flattening is to reduce DNS lookups and prevent the \u201ctoo many DNS lookups\u201d error that often occurs when an SPF record includes multiple third-party services. In simple terms, flattening an SPF record means compiling all those lookups into a single list of IPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this might sound like a quick fix, it often creates more problems than it solves. The moment a third-party service changes its IP addresses, your flattened SPF record can become outdated, leading to email delivery issues or authentication failures. Understanding how to flatten an SPF record<\/a> is useful, but relying on this method isn\u2019t the best long-term approach for maintaining a healthy, reliable email authentication setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why SPF Flattening Doesn\u2019t Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are the main reasons why SPF flattening only looks good in theory, whereas in reality, it often turns into technical and operational headaches: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Constant IP Address Changes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most email and cloud service providers regularly add, remove, or update their sending IP addresses. A flattened SPF record quickly becomes outdated unless you manually track every change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if your email provider rotates its outbound IPs and you\u2019ve listed the old ones directly in your SPF record, messages sent from the new IPs will fail SPF checks. As a result, legitimate emails may be flagged as unauthenticated, leading to delivery errors or outright rejection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. High Maintenance Effort<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Flattened SPF records demand continuous monitoring. Every time a provider updates their infrastructure, you must revise your SPF record. This ongoing maintenance consumes valuable time and increases the chance of configuration drift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Risk of Syntax and Data Errors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Flattened records are long and complex. A single typo in an IP address or a missing delimiter can invalidate the entire SPF record. Even a misplaced space or incorrect IPv6 format can break the setup and disrupt mail flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Loss of Traceability<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Once you replace includes with IPs, you lose visibility into which IPs belong to which service. Future administrators or team members can\u2019t easily tell where each address came from, complicating troubleshooting and updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Increased Fragility<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because flattening results in massive, rigid SPF records, they are prone to failure. As your organization adds more services, the list grows, making it harder to manage and easier to exceed DNS or character limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. A Temporary solution, Not a Strategy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

SPF flattening doesn\u2019t actually fix the root problem; it only hides it. The 10-lookup limit exists to ensure efficient DNS performance. Flattening circumvents it but introduces reliability and accuracy risks that can harm email deliverability long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Avoid SPF Flattening?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To avoid flattening your SPF record, you need to ensure your SPF record doesn\u2019t exceed the DNS lookup limit of 10. So, here are ways to stay within this limit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Remove Non-essential SPF Entries<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Start by auditing your SPF record and removing entries that no longer serve a purpose. If a vendor\u2019s mail system can\u2019t be aligned for SPF authentication or shows a zero percent SPF pass rate, it\u2019s better to exclude them. Tools like SPF Record Checker<\/a> can help you identify unnecessary mechanisms and sources that bloat your record. This cleanup instantly reduces DNS lookups and prevents authentication errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Avoid Using \u201ca\u201d and \u201cmx\u201d Mechanisms<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

These mechanisms often expand into multiple DNS lookups, eating into your 10-lookup budget without providing much value. If they\u2019re not critical to your sending setup, remove them. Instead, directly reference specific IP addresses or use \u201cincludes\u201d from trusted sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Delete Duplicate or Redundant Mechanisms<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Duplicate entries can occur when integrating multiple email vendors or during repeated SPF updates. These redundant entries don\u2019t improve authentication but only increase record length and DNS lookups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recommend conducting regular SPF syntax checks using SPF Raw Checker<\/a>, which highlights duplication, syntax errors, and other inefficiencies that could impact deliverability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Discard the Top-Level Domain \u201cincludes\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Top-level \u201cincludes,\u201d such as referencing \u201cinclude:example.com\u201d instead of its subdomain, can unintentionally authorize thousands of IP addresses. This increases your attack surface and consumes unnecessary lookups. Always include only the subdomain responsible for sending email, ensuring SPF alignment with your Return-Path domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Use Subdomain Segmentation<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If multiple services send on behalf of your primary domain, move each to a dedicated subdomain for SPF authentication. For example, \u201cmarketing.yourdomain.com\u201d can handle newsletters while \u201cbilling.yourdomain.com\u201d manages invoices. Each subdomain gets its own SPF record and its own 10 DNS lookups, allowing you to scale without SPF record flattening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Audit and Maintain SPF Records Regularly<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

SPF records aren\u2019t set-and-forget. Review them periodically to remove outdated senders or vendors you no longer use. Schedule audits with DMARC Analyzer <\/a>to monitor all email sources, detect misalignments, and receive detailed reports on SPF performance. This ongoing maintenance helps you stay within lookup limits and ensures consistent deliverability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Verdict on SPF Flattening<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SPF flattening may appear to simplify your SPF record, but in reality, it adds more risk than reliability. Constant IP changes, syntax errors, and maintenance challenges make it an unstable approach for long-term email authentication. Instead of flattening, focus on optimizing your SPF setup with trusted tools that provide accuracy and real-time monitoring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

EasyDMARC\u2019s SPF Record Checker, DMARC Analyzer<\/a>, and other authentication tools<\/a> help you manage records efficiently, stay within the lookup limit, and maintain consistent email deliverability, without the hassle or risk of flattening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is SPF flattening?<\/strong>

SPF flattening is the process of replacing \u201cinclude\u201d mechanisms in an SPF record with their resolved IP addresses to reduce DNS lookups. It\u2019s meant to simplify SPF records but often leads to more maintenance and higher risk of delivery failures.<\/p> <\/div>

Why isn\u2019t SPF flattening recommended?<\/strong>

Because IP addresses frequently change, a flattened SPF record can quickly become outdated. This leads to failed SPF checks, rejected emails, and higher chances of authentication errors.<\/p> <\/div>

How do I avoid SPF flattening?<\/strong>

You can avoid SPF flattening by keeping your SPF record under the 10 DNS lookup limit. Remove unnecessary entries, use subdomain segmentation, and verify your configuration with tools like EasyDMARC\u2019s SPF Record Checker.<\/p> <\/div>

What happens if my SPF record exceeds the 10 DNS lookup limit?<\/strong>

When your SPF record exceeds this limit, it automatically fails SPF validation, causing legitimate emails to be rejected or marked as spam. Optimizing your SPF record or using dynamic SPF management tools can prevent this.<\/p> <\/div>

Can I flatten my SPF record safely?<\/strong>

While it\u2019s possible to flatten SPF records using automated tools, it\u2019s not advisable. Even automated flattening requires ongoing updates and monitoring. Instead, rely on trusted SPF management and analysis tools to maintain accuracy without flattening.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SPF flattening is a method used to simplify …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[204,203,286],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-email-security","category-spf"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Is SPF Flattening? | EasyDMARC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SPF flattening may seem like a quick fix for DNS lookup limits, but it creates deliverability risks. 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