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Authentication
SPF, DKIM, DMARC and the alignment check that decides whether the first two counted for anything.
13 Sept 2026 The SPF 10-lookup limit, and why your record silently fails when you cross it
SPF allows ten DNS lookups per evaluation. Every include, a, mx and redirect spends one, nested includes spend their own, and going over produces a permanent error that receivers count as a failure. How to count, what to cut, and why flattening is a maintenance debt rather than a fix.
13 Sept 2026 How to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC for a sending domain, step by step
Four DNS records, published in a specific order, turn a domain from "anyone can send as this" into one that receivers can verify. Here is what each record contains, where it goes, and how to confirm it worked before you send anything real.
13 Sept 2026