What Is an SPF Check?

An SPF check, also known as an SPF record lookup, is the process by which a computer queries DNS servers to find the SPF record of a domain.

Why Do I Need An SPF Record?

SPF records are used by email service providers to check whether email from a domain is sent from an authorized server or not. This helps combat email spoofing and prevent other crimes like online identity theft.

SPF Lookup

Q: Why do I need to do an SPF Lookup?

An SPF lookup can help you diagnose issues with SPF records. All records are published manually, so it is not uncommon for typos and spelling mistakes to occur. With SPF lookup, you can check for such mistakes and fix them.

Use our SPF record lookup tool to check and validate SPF records of any domain.

SPF Record Lookup Tool: Check Any Domain's Email Security

With our SPF lookup tool, you can check whether your domain has an SPF record and is protected against spoofing. Just enter the domain name in the above input field, our tool will lookup the SPF record for that queried domain. The tool will run a series of tests and display the SPF record (if found).

Understanding Results of SPF Lookup Performed With Our SPF Checker?

Our tool provides the results of an SPF check in two parts. They are called “SPF Tests” and “SPF Record Details.”

SPF Tests

The SPF Tests show the quality of the SPF records. They list whether the records follow the best practices or not.

The following results are for the SPF lookup of the domain “Google.com”. Here’s an explanation of each item in the results.

DNS Record Found	This means that DNS records for the target domain exist and were found.
SPF Record Found	This means that, specifically, the SPF record was also found.
Only One Record Found	This means that only one SPF record was found. This is best practice because multiple SPF records lead to system confusion.
String Length is OK	This means that the string length of the record is small enough for email systems to read easily.
No Items After 'ALL'	SPF records usually end with "ALL." This result shows there are no unnecessary entries after it, which is good practice.
No Type 'PTR' Found	PTR is another type of DNS record. SPF records can use PTR records to do reverse lookups for verification. However, it is considered bad practice due to unreliability and heavy performance costs. The result shows that there was no PTR record.
Number of Void Lookups is OK	A void lookup is when an SPF record looks up a nonexistent record. The result here shows that void lookups are within acceptable limits.
Number of Lookups is OK (4)	SPF records can do lookups of other records. It is recommended that they don’t do too many of those. In this result, the number is 4, which is acceptable.
The Record is Valid	This result shows that the record follows all the rules of an SPF record and is valid.
No Deprecated Records Found	This result shows that no outdated or discouraged elements are found in the SPF record.

SPF Record Details

This part of the results shows the actual SPF record of the target domain. This includes the full record and an explanation of all the prefixes and suffixes used in its value field. An SPF record can have different prefixes that denote different things. Here’s an explanation to help you understand.

Type	Prefix	Value	Description
Record	txt	v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all	The complete SPF record value.
Version	v	spf1	This indicates the SPF record uses version spf1, the current standard for defining Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records.
Include	+	_spf.google.com	The + indicates that all servers listed in “_spf.google.com” are explicitly authorized to send emails on behalf of the domain.
All	~	SoftFail	The “~all” directive applies to emails not matching the SPF rules. Such emails are flagged as suspicious but are still accepted, often landing in spam folders.

Nested Lookups in the SPF Record

An SPF record can authorize either IP addresses or it can authorize other SPF records. What does that mean? This means that one record can simply defer its authentication to another record. So whichever IPs the second record authenticates, the first one does too.

This kind of “nested” record results in multiple lookups in one SPF lookup. Standard record rules dictate that no more than 10 lookups should occur as part of one lookup request for SPF record. In the given example, there are four lookups. So, it is well within the limits.

Who Can Use the SPF Lookup Tool?

It's a very useful tool for webmasters and domain managers, as these people are responsible for keeping their domains running. One aspect of running a domain is managing its reputation. Since an SPF record prevents spoofing of your domain, it helps maintain your domain's sender reputation. The SPF checker is used to verify the SPF records, thereby ensuring that your domain cannot be spoofed.

What Is An SPF Record, And Why Is It Necessary For a Domain To Have One??

An SPF record is a type of TXT record that details which email servers and IP addresses are authorized to send emails for a domain. SPF records are used when a website delegates its email handling to a 3rd party. By listing which IPs are authorized for sending emails, a domain can protect itself from getting spoofed. Spoofing is a phenomenon where bad actors pretend to be from your domain and send fraudulent emails to people to scam them.

Spoofing can harm the reputation of a domain and often results in it getting blacklisted and blocked by major ISPs and ESPs. This also means that your domain’s email deliverability suffers. An SPF record, along with a DMARC record, can prevent this outcome.

SPF will list which servers and IPs are allowed to send emails for your domain, and DMARC informs ISPs/ESPs what to do with emails that are not from those servers and IPs. Typically, the DMARC record will dictate that the emails be rejected and an alert be sent to the real domain.

This is why having an SPF record is necessary for a domain

Frequently Asked Questions.

How Does SPF Affect Email Deliverability?

Without SPF records, email service providers cannot tell if an email is from an authentic source or not. To stay on the safe side, they drop such emails or put them in the spam folder instead of the main inbox. As a result, the email deliverability suffers.

Why do I need to Lookup an SPF Record?

It can help you diagnose issues with SPF records. All records are published manually, so it is not uncommon for typos and spelling mistakes to occur. By perform a DNS SPF record check, you can find such mistakes and fix them.