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DKIM, SPF and DMARC: a complete setup guide

Three DNS records decide whether mailbox providers trust your domain. Here is how to publish each one correctly.

Written by the MigoSMTP deliverability team · [Last reviewed date]

SPF: list who may send

SPF is a TXT record that lists the servers allowed to send mail for your domain. Publish one SPF record per domain and include MigoSMTP in it.

Keep the record under ten DNS lookups. Every include counts, so remove providers you no longer use.

v=spf1 include:[migosmtp-spf-host] ~all

DKIM: sign every message

DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to each message. The receiver checks it against a public key you publish in DNS.

Add the CNAME or TXT records shown in your MigoSMTP dashboard, then verify. Rotate keys on a schedule.

[selector]._domainkey.example.com  CNAME  [dkim-target]

DMARC: set the policy

DMARC tells receivers what to do when SPF and DKIM fail to align with your From domain.

Start at p=none with reporting, review the reports, then move to quarantine and finally reject.

_dmarc.example.com  TXT  "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com"

Verify and monitor

Send a test message and read the authentication results in the headers of the received copy.

Keep monitoring. DNS changes made for other tools can break your records without warning.

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