The SPF is a protocol that ensures that an email is sent from a certain address.
Internet Service Providers can use it to confirm that the mail server is
authorized to send the message. An SPF record contains a list of the addresses
that are allowed to send the email.
SPF is a feature that allows you to send email to all the addresses that are
allowed to do so by the domain. The record in the DNS contains all the details
about the IP addresses that are permitted to send email.The SPF mechanism uses the return-path address of an email to identify the
record of the sender’s SPF. When an email is delivered to a receiving server, it
checks if the sender is on the list of approved senders. If so, a link is
established between the email and the email domain, and the server continues to
process the email as usual.Although an email might be real, its list of allowed senders might not be
accurate. Also, the email might have been forwarded, which means that it could
have come from anywhere. Unfortunately, there are many possible outcomes that
can affect the link that an SPF can provide. DKIM is a new way to try and link
an email back to a domain.
SPF is a vital component of ensuring that the sending infrastructure can deliver
email on behalf of your domain. It can help verify that the infrastructure can
handle the incoming email.
Increases domain reputation and email deliverability.
Fights domain impersonation and email spoofing to protect your brand
reputation.
One of the foundational methods of email authentication for DMARC.
The Dmarcian SPF Surveyor is a tool that can help you check the status of your
domain’s SPF settings. It can also identify the servers that are authorized to
send and receive messages on behalf of the domain.
Despite being around since the 1990s, the SPF layer of email authentication can
still have its challenges. One of these is the way that forwarding occurs on the
Internet, which means that the mechanism doesn’t survive the process. For
instance, if you send an email to an individual at EXAMPLE.ORG, then the
recipient’s email will be forwarded to another address, such as SAMPLE.NET. In
this example, the email appears to have been sent from an infrastructure that
doesn’t correspond to you.