Sender Policy Framework
SPF checks a sending server’s authorisation to use an SMTP domain. The visible sender line and receipt are separate questions.
Sender Policy Framework, or SPF, publishes in DNS which servers may use a domain when sending email. The check concerns SMTP identities such as MAIL FROM and HELO. It does not authenticate an individual person.
Check the right domain at the sending service
In the fictional design, the application sends notification S-454 through an external mail service. The team records the actual sending route and the domain being checked. A green result for some other domain does not help with this check.
The From address visible in the mail client must be distinguished from the SMTP sender address. SPF alone does not compare these domains. Working with DMARC requires the appropriate domain alignment.
Support approval with a specific check
For an approved test, record the sending route, checked identity and result. Repeat it after changing the sending service. A successful SPF result proves neither that a particular employee wrote the message nor that it is in the inbox. Those questions need their own evidence.
Sources
Related terms
- Email deliverabilityDeliverability is about whether expected email actually reaches the inbox. Check sending status, authentication and actual receipt separately.
- DMARCDMARC links a successful SPF or DKIM check to the visible sender domain. Policy and reports help with its technical oversight.
- TXT recordA TXT record stores text in DNS. The relevant procedure determines how a service interprets it, for example when checking control of a domain.
- DomainKeys Identified MailDKIM links signed email components to a domain. A valid signature establishes neither encryption nor the person behind the message.
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