1000 FAQs, 500 tutorials and explanatory videos. Here, there are only solutions!
Manage SPF records
This guide explains how to add or modify one or more SPF records in the DNS zone (of a domain name) managed in the Infomaniak Manager.
Introduction
- if your domain name is registered with Infomaniak, your email is managed by Infomaniak, but your website is hosted with another provider (e.g., Wix), you probably manage the DNS zone (and thus the SPF) with that other provider: read this guide for more information
Understanding SPF Records
The SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record type is a standard for verifying the domain name of an email sender and aims to reduce SPAM.
It serves to indicate which server is allowed to send emails for a domain.
If the SPF fails for an email, it means that the email was not sent from a server/IP address authorized by the sending domain administrator.
The email is then considered spam.
Moreover, Infomaniak automatically sets up this type of record when creating a Mail Service for your domain (strict SPF):
v=spf1 include:spf.infomaniak.ch -all
Thus, the recipient's server of the email you send will evaluate that any mail not coming from Infomaniak servers will be rejected. This prevents malicious parties from spoofing email addresses from your domain name.
However, you can also decide to modify the SPF to a more flexible model:
v=spf1 include:spf.infomaniak.ch ?all
In this case, the recipient's server of the email you send will evaluate according to its own rules whether it accepts emails not coming from Infomaniak servers.
To summarize:
?: the receiving server accepts the message even if the sender is not listed in the SPF~: the receiving server generally accepts the message if it is not listed in the SPF but identifies it as suspicious-: the receiving server rejects the message if it is not listed in the SPF (recommended)
Add an SPF via a TXT Record
Refer to this guide (click here) for instructions on managing records in a DNS zone.
Add Multiple SPF Records
If you are using email providers in addition to Infomaniak, you need to obtain their SPF and then merge it with Infomaniak's according to a specific syntax.
Example of 3 SPF records:
- Infomaniak's:
v=spf1 include:spf.infomaniak.ch -all - those from 2 secondary providers:
v=spf1 include:the-second-domain.xyz ?allv=spf1 include:the-other-domain.xyz ~all
... the final SPF to insert into your DNS zone should be in the form:
v=spf1 include:spf.infomaniak.ch include:the-second-domain.xyz include:the-other-domain.xyz -all
Remove any other SPF entry from your domain's DNS zone!
Check the SPF Record
The Global Security tool allows you to easily check and correct certain problematic records.