# What is SPF? Definition and examples · Leadraft

URL: https://leadraft.co/glossary/spf
Summary: SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS record that lists which servers are allowed to send email for a domain, so receivers can spot forgeries.

Glossary · Email & deliverability · Last updated October 31, 2026

# SPF

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS record that lists which servers are allowed to send email for a domain, so receivers can spot forgeries.

**Also called:** Sender Policy Framework.

SPF is defined in RFC 7208. A domain publishes a TXT record starting `v=spf1` that lists permitted senders, for example `include:_spf.google.com` for Google Workspace, and ends with a rule for everyone else (`-all` to fail, `~all` to soft-fail). Receiving servers check the sending server's IP against that list.

SPF checks the envelope sender (the bounce address), not the From address people see, which is why it works together with DKIM and DMARC. RFC 7208 also limits SPF evaluation to 10 DNS lookups; adding too many `include:` entries for different tools can break the record.

SPF is now a baseline requirement. Google requires all senders to Gmail to set up SPF or DKIM, and bulk senders to set up both. Yahoo requires bulk senders to implement both, and Outlook.com requires domains sending more than 5,000 emails a day to pass SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

For cold email to local businesses, set up SPF on a separate sending domain before warming it up, and add every tool that sends as you: your mailbox provider, your sequencer if it sends through its own servers, and any CRM.

## Example

An agency's sending domain publishes `v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all`. Mail from Google Workspace passes; mail forged from another server soft-fails.

## Sources

1.  1.[IETF, RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF)](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7208)
2.  2.[Google, Email sender guidelines](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126)
3.  3.[Yahoo, Sender best practices](https://senders.yahooinc.com/best-practices/)
4.  4.[Microsoft, Outlook.com Postmaster policies](https://substrate.office.com/ip-domain-management-snds/postmaster/Policies)

## Related terms

-   [DKIMDKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a cryptographic signature added to email so receivers can verify which domain sent it and that it wasn't altered.](https://leadraft.co/glossary/dkim)
-   [DMARCDMARC is a DNS policy that tells receivers what to do with mail that fails SPF and DKIM alignment for your domain, and where to send reports.](https://leadraft.co/glossary/dmarc)
-   [Email deliverabilityEmail deliverability is the ability of your emails to reach recipients' inboxes rather than bouncing or landing in spam.](https://leadraft.co/glossary/email-deliverability)
-   [Sender reputationSender reputation is the trust mailbox providers place in your sending domain and IP, built from complaints, bounces, authentication and engagement.](https://leadraft.co/glossary/sender-reputation)

## Further reading

-   [Cold-email checklist for agencies](https://leadraft.co/blog/cold-email-checklist-for-agencies)

## Every business on the map. Every email that works.

500 businesses and 50 checked emails a month, free. No card.

[Start free](https://app.leadraft.co/sign-up)

Last built: 2026-11-09