A Quick Intro to SPF and DKIM

Hosting a Party? Understanding SPF and DKIM is Like Managing Email Security!

Imagine you’re hosting a party and want to ensure that only your invited guests can get in. To do this, you create a guest list and give each guest a special stamp or bracelet they must show at the door to prove they’re invited.

This is kind of like what SPF and DKIM do for your email messages.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is like the guest list. It’s a way for you to specify which email servers are allowed to send messages from your domain. Just like your party guest list, SPF helps prevent uninvited guests (spam emails) from getting through.

Now, let’s say you also want to ensure that your guests can’t sneak in uninvited guests by giving them a stamp or bracelet that only you can provide. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) does this for your email messages. It’s a way for you to digitally sign your messages so that email servers can verify that they came from you and haven’t been tampered with in transit.

So, just like the stamp or bracelet on your guests’ wrists, the digital signature added by DKIM helps ensure that your messages are authentic and haven’t been spoofed or altered by someone else.

By using both SPF and DKIM, you’re taking extra steps to protect your email messages and prevent spam or phishing attempts from getting through. It’s like having a bouncer at the door checking the guest list and wristbands to ensure only the right people get in.

Image credits: Photo by FLY:D on Unsplash