What is an SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record?

An SPF record is a DNS TXT record that lists all authorized IP addresses and mail servers permitted to send email on behalf of your domain, preventing unauthorized spammers from spoofing your sender identity.

What is the RFC 7208 10-DNS-lookup limit?

The SPF specification restricts SPF evaluations to a maximum of 10 DNS lookups (from mechanisms like include:, a, mx, ptr, and redirect:). If an SPF record requires more than 10 lookups, receiving mail servers may return an SPF PermError and fail validation.

What is the difference between -all and ~all in SPF?

-all indicates a "Hard Fail" (strictly reject any emails from servers not listed). ~all indicates a "Soft Fail" (accept but mark as suspicious/spam). The -all qualifier provides stronger spoofing prevention.

SPF Record Validator

Validate SPF mechanisms and count DNS lookups against the RFC 10-lookup limit

100% Free to use Secure & Reliable Instant results

SPF Record Validator & Lookup Counter

Validate Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records, count DNS lookups (RFC 7208 10-limit), and check qualifiers

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About This Tool

What is SPF Record Validator & Lookup Counter?

Validate SPF TXT records, count DNS lookup mechanisms against the RFC 10-limit, and audit authorized mail senders.

The SPF Record Checker queries domain TXT records using DNS-over-HTTPS. It breaks down every mechanism (include:, ip4:, ip6:, a, mx, and all), calculates the total DNS lookup count to ensure compliance with the RFC 10-lookup threshold, and flags multiple SPF record violations.

Quick Guide

How to Use

Enter your root domain name (e.g. example.com).

Click "Validate SPF Record".

Verify your DNS lookup count (must be <= 10).

Inspect the parsed mechanisms and all qualifier policy.

Advantages

Why Use This Tool?

Prevent email deliverability failures from SPF lookup limit exceedances

Detect dangerous "+all" open-relay misconfigurations

Identify multiple conflicting SPF records

High-speed DoH queries with zero server IP exposure