This guide explains how to add or modify one or more SPF records in the DNS zone (of a domain name) managed on the Manager Infomaniak.

Preamble

• If your domain name is registered with Infomaniak, your email is managed by Infomaniak but your website is hosted with another provider (Wix for example) you probably manage the DNS zone (and therefore the SPF) with this other provider: refer to this other guide on the subject.

Understanding SPF records

The SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record type is a standard for verifying the domain name of the sender of an email and aims to reduce spam.

It indicates which server is or is not allowed to send emails for a domain.

If the SPF fails for an email, this means that it was not sent from an authorized server/ IP address by the administrator of the sending domain.

The email is then considered as spam.

Moreover, Infomaniak automatically installs this type of record when creating a Mail Service on your domain (strict SPF):

v=spf1 include:spf.infomaniak.ch -all

Thus, the recipient server of the email you send will evaluate that any email not coming from Infomaniak servers will be rejected. This prevents malicious individuals from impersonating email addresses from your domain.

You can also decide to modify the SPF for a more flexible model:

v=spf1 include:spf.infomaniak.ch ?all

In this case, the recipient server of the email you send will evaluate, according to its own rules, whether it accepts emails not coming from Infomaniak servers.

In summary:

• ?: the receiving server accepts the message even if the sender is not listed in the SPF
• ~: the receiving server generally accepts the message if the sender is not listed in the SPF but flags it as suspicious
• -: the receiving server rejects the message if it is not listed in the SPF (recommended)

Add a SPF via a TXT record

Refer to this other guide to manage this type of record in a DNS zone.

Add multiple SPF

If you use other mail providers in addition to Infomaniak, you must obtain their SPF and then merge it with Infomaniak's according to a specific syntax.

Example of 3 SPF to merge:

• Infomaniak's: v=spf1 include:spf.infomaniak.ch -all
• Those of 2 secondary providers:
  • v=spf1 include:the-second-domain.xyz ?all
  • v=spf1 include:the-other-domain.xyz ~all

... the final SPF to be inserted into your DNS zone must be in the following form:

v=spf1 include:spf.infomaniak.ch include:the-second-domain.xyz include:the-other-domain.xyz -all

Delete any other SPF entry from your domain's DNS zone! Any DNS addition or modification can take up to 48 hours to propagate.

SPF quantity limits

Multiple SPF records are limited to a maximum of 10 inclusions.

The Infomaniak SPF already includes 4 entries:

• include:relay.mail.infomaniak.ch
• include:app.mail.infomaniak.ch
• include:newsletter.infomaniak.com
• include:amazonses.com

Check the SPF record(s)

The global security tool on the Infomaniak Manager allows for easy verification and correction of any problematic records.

In case of a problem, it is recommended to analyze your domain name on MxToolbox to check if your SPF contains syntax errors, too many inclusions, or any other issue that could lead to an error:

… or directly at the address https://mxtoolbox.com/spf.aspx.