What is the SPF Record Generator for?

The Smartlead SPF Generator helps you easily create an SPF record for your domain. Just enter your domain name, and our tool guides you through defining which IP addresses are authorised to send emails on your behalf. The generated SPF record can then be stored as a TXT resource in your name server's zone. Protect your domain and improve email deliverability with ease!

What is an SPF Record?
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An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record is a type of DNS record that specifies which mail servers are allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain. It helps prevent email spoofing and improves email deliverability by allowing receiving mail servers to verify that incoming messages from your domain come from authorised IP addresses. Creating an SPF record involves defining which IP addresses or servers are authorised to send emails for your domain. Tools like the Smartlead SPF Generator simplify this process by guiding you through the creation of a valid SPF record tailored to your domain. Once generated, the SPF record is typically added to your domain's DNS settings as a TXT record.
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Why Does Your Domain Need an SPF Record?

‍Your domain needs an SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record primarily for email authentication and to enhance email deliverability. Here are the key reasons why having an SPF record is important:

‍Prevents Email Spoofing: SPF helps prevent malicious entities from forging emails that appear to come from your domain. It specifies which mail servers are allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain, thereby reducing the likelihood of spoofed emails reaching recipients.

‍Improves Email Deliverability: ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and email servers use SPF records to verify the legitimacy of incoming emails. When properly configured, SPF can help improve your domain's email deliverability by ensuring that emails from your domain are recognized as authentic and are less likely to be marked as spam.

‍Protects Your Domain's Reputation: Email spoofing and phishing attacks can damage your domain's reputation if attackers misuse it to send spam or malicious emails. SPF records help maintain your domain's reputation by preventing unauthorized use of your domain name in email headers.

‍Supports Other Email Authentication Protocols: SPF is often used in conjunction with other email authentication methods such as DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). Together, these protocols provide a layered approach to email security and help ensure that emails are genuine and trustworthy.

Compliance Requirements: In some cases, having an SPF record may be necessary to comply with industry standards or regulations. For example, some email service providers require SPF records for proper email delivery.

Smartlead's SPF Generator is your go-to online tool for quickly creating a valid SPF record. Protect your domain from email spoofing with just a few clicks:

- Access the Tool: Go to the Smartlead SPF Record Generator Tool on their website.Enter Your Domain Name:Locate the field labeled “Enter a domain name.” Type in the domain name for which you want to generate the SPF record (e.g., example.com).

- Specify If Your Domain Sends Mail:You will see the question, “Does domain send mail?”Select Yes if your domain is used to send emails, or No if it does not send mail.

- Specify If MX Records Send Mail: Next, you’ll be asked, “Does MX records send mail?”Choose Yes if your domain's MX (Mail Exchange) records are configured to handle mail, or No if they are not.

- Decide on PTR Records Approval: You’ll be prompted with “Approve all hosts with domain name? (PTR).”Select Yes if you want to allow any host with the domain name in the PTR (Pointer) record, or No if you don’t want to include PTR records.

- Choose SPF Failure Behaviour: You need to decide what should happen if SPF authentication fails. You’ll have options like:Fail: The email will be rejected if it fails SPF authentication.( You can choose from the choices like "SoftFail," "Neutral," or "Pass.")

- Generate the SPF Record: After filling out all the required fields, click the Generate button. The tool will display the generated SPF record based on your inputs. Review the record to ensure it accurately reflects your email sending sources and preferences.

- Add the SPF Record to Your DNS: Copy the generated SPF record. Log in to your DNS hosting provider’s management console. Add a new TXT record with the SPF record value you copied. Save the changes.

Whether you're a beginner or an expert, our tool is designed to be user-friendly. Start your email authentication journey today and move one step closer to DMARC compliance with Smartlead's SPF Generator.

Generated SPF Tags Explained

‍When you generate an SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record using a tool like Smartlead's SPF Generator, the generated SPF record typically consists of several tags and their values. Each tag serves a specific purpose in defining which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. Here's an explanation of the commonly used tags in an SPF record:
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1. v=spf1: This tag indicates the version of SPF being used. "v=spf1" is the current and most widely supported version.
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2. include: This tag allows you to include SPF records from another domain. For example, if you use a third-party email service to send emails, their SPF records can be included here to authorise them to send emails on your behalf.
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3. a: This tag specifies that the domain's A records (IPv4 addresses) are authorised to send emails. It's less commonly used now due to its limitations in handling IPv6 addresses.
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4. mx: This tag authorises the domain's MX records (mail exchange servers) to send emails. This is typically the most common mechanism used in SPF records.
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5. ip4 and ip6: These tags specify specific IPv4 or IPv6 addresses that are authorised to send emails for the domain.
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6. all: This tag specifies the default behavior for emails that do not match any of the mechanisms defined. It can be set to either +, -, or ~.
  +all: Allow all email. This is generally not recommended as it weakens SPF protection.
  -all: Deny all email. This is stricter and specifies that only emails matching the mechanisms are allowed.
  ~all: Soft fail. It suggests that the server is not explicitly authorised but doesn't enforce a strong policy. It's less strict than -all.
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7. redirect: This tag allows you to redirect to another domain's SPF record instead of specifying your own mechanisms. It's less commonly used.
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8. Explanation: Some tools or generators might include a human-readable explanation or comment in the SPF record, but this is not part of the standard SPF syntax and is optional.
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When you generate an SPF record using Smartlead's SPF Generator or similar tools, they typically provide an interface where you can select or enter these mechanisms. The generator then constructs the SPF record based on your inputs, ensuring it is formatted correctly and ready to be added as a TXT record in your domain's DNS settings.

Publishing a generated SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record in DNS involves adding it as a TXT (text) record in your domain's DNS settings. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

- Log in to your domain registrar's website or the platform where you manage your domain's DNS settings. This is typically where you purchased your domain or where your DNS hosting is managed (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare).

- Find the section of the website or dashboard where you can manage DNS records. This may be labeled as "DNS Management," "DNS Settings," "DNS Records," or similar.

- Look for an option to add a new record. Choose "TXT" or "Text" as the type of record you want to add. The exact wording may vary depending on your DNS provider.

- In the "Value" or "Text" field, paste the SPF record that you generated using Smartlead's SPF Generator or any other SPF record generator. The SPF record will typically start with v=spf1 followed by various mechanisms and modifiers.Save the changes. This may be labeled as "Save," "Add Record," "Update," or similar depending on your DNS management interface.

- After saving, verify that the TXT record containing your SPF record is correctly added in the DNS records list for your domain. Some DNS providers may have propagation times where changes may take some time (up to 48 hours) to take effect globally.

Best Practices for Adding SPF Records

‍Syntax and Formatting: Ensure that the SPF record is copied correctly without any additional spaces or characters. The SPF record should be a single line starting with v=spf1.

‍Multiple SPF Records: It's important to have only one SPF record per domain. If you already have an SPF record, modify it instead of creating a new one to avoid conflicts.

‍Testing: Once added, you can test your SPF record using SPF record testing tools to ensure it's properly configured and working as intended.

‍Documentation: Keep a record of your SPF record details for future reference, including any changes made.

By following these steps, you'll successfully publish your generated SPF record in DNS. This helps authenticate your domain's emails and improves deliverability by specifying authorised mail servers or IP addresses that can send emails on behalf of your domain.

• www is the subdomain and is an identifier of the record.

• CNAME is the DNS record type.

• com is the value of the record. That means www will resolve to the IP address of the domain abc.com.

• 3600 is TTL (time to live) is the expiry time of the CNAME record. It's expressed in seconds. Here 3600 means that the records will be updated after each hour.