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Should I include SpamHero's IPs in my domain's SPF record?

Yes, it is generally a good idea to add SpamHero to your SPF record to help in a few scenarios:

  1. Inbound mail from your domain that goes through SpamHero will pass SPF checks, improving deliverability to your mail host.
  2. Outbound mail from your domain will have much higher delivery rates when you have an SPF record.
  3. If you are a reseller with a custom domain, this will improve the deliverability of quarantine reports to your users.
    • There is a "white label" version of the SPF "include" for resellers

      (You must be logged in to read this portion of the article)
      This can also be found in the control panel under Reseller > Setup options

 

Add to an existing SPF record

If your domain already uses SPF, add this to your existing record before the "all" parameter at the end:

include:spf.spamhero.com

If you are a reseller, use the SPF include published in the reseller area of the control panel instead of the one mentioned here.

 

Create a new SPF record

If your domain has no SPF record, the following is a good starting point (add this as a TXT record in your domain's DNS settings):

v=spf1 a include:spf.spamhero.com ~all

There may be other options that you wish to include in your SPF record if your domain sends through other outbound services. Contact each provider that you send emails through to find out what their SPF record requirements are.

 

What is SPF?

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an open standard that senders can use to publish which IPs are authorized to send email from their domain. There seems to be some confusion about the difference between having an SPF filter enabled for your domain and having an SPF record for your domain.  These are two different things. 

An SPF record is a special DNS record that tells the world what IP addresses that your domain is allowed to send email from.

An SPF filter is something that can be enabled on most mail servers.  It examines the SPF record of the envelope sender's domain and may block the message if the sender's IP is not listed in that domain's SPF record.

Having an SPF filter enabled for your domain is not recommended when you are using SpamHero as it may block domains that have SPF records from sending emails to your domain. If you are unable to shut off your SPF filter, you will need to enable our SPF workaround feature. Removing your SPF record does not disable your server's SPF filter, and is counterproductive.

Having a properly configured SPF record for your domain is encouraged. While it won't prevent scammers from impersonating your domain on its own, it can help improve the deliverability of your outbound emails.


Last updated October 31, 2023