DMARC alignment

The DMARC rule that SPF or DKIM only counts when its domain matches the domain in the visible From address.

SPF checks the envelope sender (Return-Path) and DKIM checks the d= domain of the signature; both can pass for your sending platform's domain and still fail DMARC for yours. Relaxed alignment (the default) accepts the same organizational domain, so news.example.com aligns with example.com; strict alignment (aspf=s, adkim=s) needs the exact domain. DMARC passes when at least one of SPF or DKIM passes and aligns.

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Related terms

DMARC: The policy that tells receivers what to do when mail fails SPF and DKIM, and where to report.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): A DNS record listing which servers may send email for your domain.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): A signature on each message, checked against a public key in your DNS.

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