2.0 Receipt Email SPF DNS Record entry

This document will explain setting up/editing an SPF record so that Lunchbox system can send emails. Order receipt emails on behalf of the restaurant’s domain name. Ie hello@burgerjoint.com

Definitions:

1. Domain name: The first part of the url to access a website. For example, http://lunchbox.io is the domain name for the lunchbox website. We’ll refer to it here as branded/vanity domain.

2. DNS: Domain name system. It's the address book of the internet. The DNS is how a user’s computer will find the website. There are many DNS providers.

3. SPF: identifies the mail servers and domains that are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain.

Prerequisite

You will need access to your DNS provider, with the ability to edit DNS entries.

If you are already sending emails through your domain name you will likely already have SPF record. In this case you will need to edit it.

Steps:

1. Log into your DNS provider

2. Although interfaces vary between DNS providers, in general you want to find your provider’s interface for managing/editing DNS entries. This is where you will create or edit the SPF record. The SPF record is a string of domains/ip address authorized to send email on behalf of the domain

3. Select Edit (usually a pencil icon) and you will be be able to start editing the SPF record.

4. Its suggested that you copy the SPF value to a text edit and make changes there

5. SPF records are comprised of the same starting value v=spf1 followed by a space delimited list of allowed IPs and/or domain names and finally capped of with either -all or ~all (you may see +all)

   1. Example you want to edit the SPF record for your domain and the value in the record is v=spf1 ip:127.0.0.1 include:sendgrid.net ~all

      1. v=spf1 is the starting string this is always the same

      2. ip:127.0.0.1 indicates that the ip address of 127.0.0.1 is allowed to send emails as the domain being examined

      3. include:sendgrid.net indicates that the mail server connected to the domain sendgrid.net is allowed to send emails as the domain examined

      4. ~all is the cap of the entry

6. Modify the value by inserting the ip address 199.244.126.195. Enter ip:199.244.126.195 in after all other IP entries in your SPF value

   1. v=spf1 ip:127.0.0.1 include:sendgrid.net ~all becomes

   2. v=spf1 ip:127.0.0.1 ip:199.244.126.195 include:sendgrid.net ~all

7. Insert include:novadine.com include:lunchbox.io after all other include: entries

   1. v=spf1 ip:127.0.0.1 include:sendgrid.net ~all becomes

   2. v=spf1 ip:127.0.0.1 ip:199.244.126.195 include:sendgrid.net include:novadine.com include:lunchbox.io ~all

8. Update the SPF value with the modified value and save the entry.

9. DNS propagation can take up to 24 hrs

Note: In the chance that you do not have an existing SPF record: Create a new entry where the DNS entry type is SPF the name is empty (or whatever indicator your provider uses to indicate the APEX route).

Rype: SPF
Name: (set it to however the dns specifies apex domains
Value: v=spf1 ip:199.244.126.195 include:novadine.com include:lunchbox.io ~all

Ref: https://www.dmarcanalyzer.com/spf/how-to-create-an-spf-txt-record/

Some examples of SPF values before and after changing it according to the above:

If your SPF value does not contain an IPs but has include domains

Before: v=spf1 include:sendgrid.net ~all

After: v=spf1 ip:199.244.126.195 include:sendgrid.net include:novadine.com include:lunchbox.io ~all

If your SPF has IPs but no include

Before: v=spf1 ip:192.169.1.1 ~all

After: v=spf1 ip:192.169.1.1 ip:199.244.126.195 include:novadine.com include:lunchbox.io ~all

If your SPF has nothing (unlikely to happen)

Before: v=spf1 ~all

After: v=spf1 ip:199.244.126.195 include:novadine.com include:lunchbox.io ~all