How to Set Up a DMARC Record

How to Set Up a DMARC Record


How to Set Up a DMARC Record

Learn how to use DMARC tags

How do I set up a DMARC record, and what do the DMARC tags mean?

I'll give you the short answer in this article. If you want to do a deep dive into this technical and important topic, go to the DMARC page.

DMARCstands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance. It's an email authentication protocol commonly used with DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework) to enhance email security and protect against phishing and spam. 

A DMARC record tells email senders how emails should be authenticated and what action to take if authentication fails. It also provides email authentication results. When you set up a DMARC record, emails from @gmail.com, @aol.com, and @yahoo.com can be sent using only their original servers.


Creating a DMARC

You create a DMARC by adding a record to your domain's DNS settings. The process is similar to setting up a DKIM record. Below is an example of a DMARC record.

Domain Name System (DNS) is the Internet's phonebook. It changes people-friendly website names (e.g. www.example.com) into computer-friendly IP numbers (93.184.216.34).


When configuring a DMARC record, the TXT Value field includes tags: some mandatory, some recommended, and some optional. 

TXT Value = 

v=DMARC1;p=none;sp=none;pct=100;rua=mailto:YOUREMAIL;
ruf=mailto:YOUREMAIL;ri=86400;aspf=r;adkim=r;fo=1


DMARC tags

This table shows DMARC tags and functions.

Tag

Type

Function

v

Required

Set the version of DMARC being used (Always set to v=DMARC1)

p

Required

Set rules for how email providers should handle emails that may not be legitimate (none, quarantine, or reject)

rua

Required

Specify where to send summary reports about email authentication

ruf

Optional

Specify where to send detailed reports when an email fails DMARC validation (recommended)

adkim

Optional

Decide how strictly to check the sender's signature in emails (Strict or Relaxed)

aspf

Optional

Decide how strictly to check the sender's domain in emails (Strict or Relaxed; default is Relaxed)

sp

Optional

Specify rules for subdomains aligned with the main domain's policy

fo

Optional

Choose what kind of failure reports to receive (none, if either SPF or DKIM fails, if DKIM fails, or if SPF fails)

rf

Optional

Choose the format for detailed reports on email authentication failures (default: afrf)

pct

Optional

Determine the percentage of emails to which the DMARC policy applies (default: 100%)

ri

Optional

Set the time interval between receiving reports about email authentication (default: 86400 seconds)


Conclusion

That's the short story. I hope you understand why a DMARC record is important for your business and how to read the tags.



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