A DNS TXT record naming which sources may send email for a domain, so receiving servers can catch spoofing. DMARC and DKIM complement it.
Also called Sender Policy Framework.
Read more: Microsoft Learn
In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains SPF in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- DNS
The system that turns names into addresses. In Azure, private endpoints depend on private DNS zones, which are queried through 168.63.129.16.
- TXT record
A DNS record containing free-form text, commonly used to prove ownership of a domain.
- Domain
A way of grouping workspaces by area of the business, in support of a data mesh approach. Items take on their workspace's domain, letting you filter the OneLake catalog by it, and certain tenant settings can be passed to domain admins; domains have no effect on access permissions.
- Spoofing
A message whose From address uses a domain other than its real origin is spoofed. This differs from impersonation, where the identity merely looks similar; anti-phishing policies handle each.
- DMARC
A standard that builds on SPF and DKIM: it confirms the domain shown in the From address lines up with what they checked. Domain owners use it to say how receiving servers should treat messages that fail, and where to send reports about them.
- DKIM
A standard for authenticating email: the sending domain adds a digital signature over parts of each message, letting the recipient confirm nothing was changed along the way.