--- title: "Using A Robust SPF Record Checker For Protecting Organization’s Reputation And Ensuring Email Deliverability With Error-Free SPF Records | DuoCircle" description: "Join the thousands of organizations that use DuoCircle Find out how affordable it is for your organization today and be pleasantly surprised.Interested in" image: "https://www.duocircle.com/images/og-default.png" canonical: "https://www.duocircle.com/resources/spf-record-checker/" --- Resource # Using A Robust SPF Record Checker For Protecting Organization’s Reputation And Ensuring Email Deliverability With Error-Free SPF Records Join the thousands of organizations that use DuoCircle Find out how affordable it is for your organization today and be pleasantly surprised.Interested in [ Talk to an Expert → ](/contact/) [ See what we make ](/products/) ## Using A Robust SPF Record Checker For Protecting Organization’s Reputation And Ensuring Email Deliverability With Error-Free SPF Records How SPF record check can protect a domain’s reputation and improve email deliverability. [Fix Your SPF Errors Now](/email/spf-record-check) ###### [EMAIL SECURITY SERVICES](/) ###### [PLANS AND PRICING](/email/spf-record-check#pricingarea) ###### [SPF RECORDS](/email/spf-record-check) _SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a standard enabling a domain owner to provide a list of approved senders_. Thus, the receiving mail servers can verify that the email has originated from a genuine or authorized source. The information regarding the authorized senders rests in an SPF record. An [SPF record checker](https://www.autospf.com/) validates that the generated SPF record is valid and free from errors. Thus, an _**SPF record check** is an essential tool to ensure secure email communication_. ![spf flattening](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/10/spf-spam-protection.png) ### SPF Record Check – The Concept [SPF record check](/email/spf-record-check) is a diagnostic tool acting as an SPF record lookup and **SPF validator**. This tool works by looking up the SPF record for the queried domain name and displaying it. Subsequently, it runs a series of diagnostic tests against the **SPF record**. It highlights any errors found with the document that could impact email delivery, and resultantly, the organization’s reputation. ### What Does The SPF Record Checker Look For In The Record? Let us now discuss the validation process of the [SPF record checker](/email/spf-record-check). It looks for the following aspects in an SPF record. - **The Existence Of An SPF Record:** The SPF record checker ensures that an SPF record exists in the DNS in the first place. - **More Than One SPF Records In DNS:** _SPF record check does not validate more than one SPF record in each SPF version’s DNS_. Hence, there should only be one SPF record, which must be kept adequately updated. Also, there is no point in placing a new record adjacent to the existing one, as it is not valid. - **Maximum Number Of Lookups:** SPF record check _does not perform_ more than ten nested DNS lookups. - **Record Termination Missing:** _The SPF record check ensures that a default fallback mechanism exists at the end of the record_. It tells the SPF record checker what to do when other steps fail. It can either be a ‘redirect’ modifier or an ‘all’ setting. - **+all Mechanism:** Using the ‘+all’ mechanism entails that a user allows any person to send emails on their behalf. Even if the SPF Record check tries to match the source with another guideline, it will still enable ‘+all’ by default if that alternative fails. Hence, _it is recommended not to use this setup_. - **PTR Mechanism:** The SPF record check can look for a [PTR mechanism](https://fundamental.marketing/email-deliverability/why-should-i-not-use-a-ptr-mechanism-in-my-spf-records/). PTR is an outdated mechanism and hence discouraged as the senders may ignore it. - **Multiple Fallback:** It will check if multiple fallback mechanisms exist. Generally, an _SPF record should have one fallback scenario_. - **DNS Type SPF Used:** As per RFC 7208, SPF records need to be published as DNS TXT (Type 16) RR (Resource Record). - **Invalid Macro:** The SPF record checker tries to validate [SPF macros](https://www.jamieweb.net/blog/using-spf-macros-to-solve-the-operational-challenges-of-spf/#:~:text=SPF%20macros%20are%20a%20feature,address%20or%20source%20IP%20address.), which is a feature that helps you make **dynamic SPF policies** by allowing various variables to be included, which are later verified by receiving MTAs, which can work based on information such as the sender’s email address and IP address - **Uppercase SPF:** Generally, using the lowercase is the ideal practice to publish the SPF records. However, it is not a compulsory requirement. Though SPF record check is not the ultimate **protection against spam** and phishing emails, it plays a significant role in assisting the network in identifying malicious intervention that could lead to spoofing and degrading an organization’s reputation. Therefore, _defining the SPF record and validating it helps ensure email security to a significant extent_. ##### Join the thousands of organizations that use DuoCircle --- Find out how affordable it is for your organization today and be pleasantly surprised. [Auto SPF - Sign Up FREE](/email/spf-record-check)Interested in our Partner Program for MSPs and VARs? Visit Our [MSP Partner Program](/msp-partner-program). ## Ready to talk? Same-day response from someone technical. We tell you yes or no quickly. If yes, we get to work. [Talk to an Expert→](/contact/)[See what we make](/products/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.duocircle.com/images/duocircle-logo.png"},"description":"DuoCircle is a portfolio of specialized email products covering protection, authentication, delivery, and routing. We deliver about 90% of category-leader capability at roughly half the price, backed by experts who own the outcome. Trusted by 50,000+ organizations since 2014.","subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}],"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/company/duocircle","https://x.com/duocirclellc","https://www.facebook.com/duocirclellc","https://www.g2.com/products/phish-protection-by-duocircle/reviews","https://github.com/duocircle","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/duocircle-llc"],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","url":"https://support.duocircle.com"},"knowsAbout":["Email Security","Email Authentication","SPF","DKIM","DMARC","Phishing Protection","Spam Filtering","SMTP Relay","Email Deliverability","Email Forwarding"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebSite","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","description":"DuoCircle is a portfolio of specialized email products covering protection, authentication, delivery, and routing. We deliver about 90% of category-leader capability at roughly half the price, backed by experts who own the outcome. Trusted by 50,000+ organizations since 2014.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.duocircle.com/images/duocircle-logo.png"},"description":"DuoCircle is a portfolio of specialized email products covering protection, authentication, delivery, and routing. We deliver about 90% of category-leader capability at roughly half the price, backed by experts who own the outcome. Trusted by 50,000+ organizations since 2014.","subOrganization":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138898167","name":"DMARC Report","url":"https://dmarcreport.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897912","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://www.phishprotection.com"}]}} ``` ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","name":"Using A Robust SPF Record Checker For Protecting Organization’s Reputation And Ensuring Email Deliverability With Error-Free SPF Records","description":"Join the thousands of organizations that use DuoCircle Find out how affordable it is for your organization today and be pleasantly surprised.Interested in ","url":"https://www.duocircle.com/resources/spf-record-checker/","speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".page-answer",".duo-rich-text p:first-of-type"]},"dateModified":"2023-07-26T14:14:18.000Z","datePublished":"2020-12-01T19:05:52.000Z"},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"DuoCircle","item":"https://www.duocircle.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Using A Robust SPF Record Checker For Protecting Organization’s Reputation And Ensuring Email Deliverability With Error-Free SPF Records","item":"https://www.duocircle.com/resources/spf-record-checker/"}]}] ```