---
title: "What is SPF (Sender Policy Framework)?"
url: "https://lookvalid.com/glossary/spf.md"
canonical_url: "https://lookvalid.com/glossary/spf"
last_updated: "2026-10-23"
type: "conceptual"
summary: "SPF is a DNS record that lists which servers are allowed to send email for a domain."
related: ["https://lookvalid.com/glossary/dkim.md", "https://lookvalid.com/glossary/dmarc.md", "https://lookvalid.com/glossary/mx-record.md", "https://lookvalid.com/products/email-domain-check.md"]
---

# What is SPF (Sender Policy Framework)?

SPF is a DNS record that lists which servers are allowed to send email for a domain.

A receiving server compares the connecting server's address with the sender domain's SPF record and notes a pass, fail or something in between. A record is limited to ten DNS lookups, so large senders have to keep it tidy.

SPF on its own does not stop a forged "From" address that people see. That is what DMARC adds.

To read a domain's policy, fetch its TXT records and find the one that starts with v=spf1. The ending says what to do with other senders: -all asks receivers to reject them, ~all marks them as suspicious, and ?all takes no position. A domain with no SPF record, or with two of them, has not set it up correctly.

## Related

- [What is DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)?](https://lookvalid.com/glossary/dkim.md)
- [What is DMARC?](https://lookvalid.com/glossary/dmarc.md)
- [What is MX record (Mail Exchanger record)?](https://lookvalid.com/glossary/mx-record.md)
- [Email Domain Check API](https://lookvalid.com/products/email-domain-check.md)