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Cybersecurity glossary

What is SPF?

Also known as: Sender Policy Framework

Definition

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS record listing the servers allowed to send email for a domain.

Why it matters

Receivers check the sending server against the SPF record of the envelope sender domain. SPF records are limited to 10 DNS lookups, so domains with many sending services need to keep them tidy. SPF works with DKIM and DMARC.

Common questions about SPF

See also

Sources