What is Dkim for email and do I need it?

DKIM stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail.

It’s an email authentication method that helps prove an email really came from the domain it claims to be from—and that it wasn’t altered along the way.

Here’s the plain-English version:

  • When an email is sent, the sending mail server adds a digital signature to the message.
  • That signature is created using a private key owned by the sender’s domain.
  • The receiving mail server looks up the sender’s public key in DNS and checks the signature.
  • If it matches ✅ the email is legit and unchanged.
  • If it doesn’t ❌ the message may be spam, spoofed, or tampered with.
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What is SPF for email and do I need it?

SPF (for mail) stands for Sender Policy Framework.

It’s an email authentication method that helps stop email spoofing—basically, it tells the world which mail servers are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain.

How it works (plain English)

  1. A domain publishes an SPF record in DNS.
  2. That record lists the servers/IPs allowed to send email for the domain.
  3. When an email is received, the recipient’s mail server:
    • Checks the SPF record
    • Verifies whether the sending server is on the approved list
  4. If it’s not allowed, the message can be marked as spam, rejected, or flagged.
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