SPF — glossary
TL;DR
Sender Policy Framework — DNS TXT record listing which servers may send email for a domain.
Key facts
- Term
- SPF
TL;DR
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS TXT record that lists which mail servers may send email for your domain. Receivers compare the connecting IP against SPF before accepting mail.
Common failures
- No SPF record at all
- Multiple SPF records (only one is allowed)
- SPF exists but omits the server actually sending mail (e.g. web form on a VPS)
Fix pattern
v=spf1 +a +mx +ip4:YOUR.SERVER.IP ~all
Use the free email health checker to validate any domain, or monitor every cPanel account from Reflex cPanel integration.