Below you can find a list of **recommended DNS records**. While some are mandatory for a mail server (A, MX), others are recommended to build a good reputation score (TXT/SPF) or used for auto-configuration of mail clients (SRV). ## References - A good article covering all relevant topics: ["3 DNS Records Every Email Marketer Must Know"](https://www.rackaid.com/blog/email-dns-records) - Another great one, but Zimbra as an example platform: ["Best Practices on Email Protection: SPF, DKIM and DMARC"](https://wiki.zimbra.com/wiki/Best_Practices_on_Email_Protection:_SPF,_DKIM_and_DMARC) - An in-depth discussion of SPF, DKIM and DMARC: ["How to eliminate spam and protect your name with DMARC"](https://www.skelleton.net/2015/03/21/how-to-eliminate-spam-and-protect-your-name-with-dmarc/) ## Reverse DNS of your IP Make sure that the PTR record of your IP matches the FQDN of your mailcow host: `${MAILCOW_HOSTNAME}` [^1]. This record is usually set at the provider you leased the IP (server) from. ## The minimal DNS configuration This example shows you a set of records for one domain managed by mailcow. Each domain that is added to mailcow needs at least this set or records to function correctly. ``` # Name Type Value mail IN A 1.2.3.4 autodiscover IN CNAME mail autoconfig IN CNAME mail @ IN MX 10 mail ``` ## DKIM, SPF and DMARC In the example DNS zone file snippet below, a simple **SPF** TXT record is used to only allow THIS server (the MX) to send mail for your domain. Every other server is disallowed but able to ("`~all`"). Please refer to [SPF Project](http://www.openspf.org) for further reading. ``` @ IN TXT "v=spf1 mx ~all" ``` It is highly recommended to create a **DKIM** TXT record in your mailcow UI and set the corresponding TXT record in your DNS records. Please refer to [OpenDKIM](http://www.opendkim.org) for further reading. ``` dkim._domainkey IN TXT "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; t=s; s=email; p=..." ``` The last step in protecting yourself and others is the implementation of a **DMARC** TXT record, for example by using the [DMARC Assistant](http://www.kitterman.com/dmarc/assistant.html) ([check](https://dmarcian.com/dmarc-inspector/google.com)). ``` _dmarc IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:mailauth-reports@example.org" ``` ## The advanced DNS configuration **SRV** records specify the server(s) for a specific protocol on your domain. If you want to explicitly announce a service as not provided, give "." as the target address (instead of "mail.example.tld."). Please refer to [RFC 2782](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2782). ``` _imap._tcp IN SRV 0 1 143 mail.example.org. _imaps._tcp IN SRV 0 1 993 mail.example.org. _pop3._tcp IN SRV 0 1 110 mail.example.org. _pop3s._tcp IN SRV 0 1 995 mail.example.org. _submission._tcp IN SRV 0 1 587 mail.example.org. _smtps._tcp IN SRV 0 1 465 mail.example.org. _sieve._tcp IN SRV 0 1 4190 mail.example.org. _autodiscover._tcp IN SRV 0 1 443 autodiscover.example.org. ``` ## Testing Here are some tools you can use to verify your DNS configuration: - [MX Toolbox](https://mxtoolbox.com/SuperTool.aspx) (DNS, SMTP, RBL) - [port25.com](https://www.port25.com/dkim-wizard/) (DKIM, SPF) - [HAD Pilot](https://www.had-pilot.com/testdetails.html) (DKIM, DMARC, SPF) - [DMARC Analyzer](https://www.dmarcanalyzer.com/spf-record-check/) (DMARC, SPF) ## Misc If you are interested in statistics, you can additionally register with the [Postmaster Tool](https://gmail.com/postmaster) by Google and supply a **google-site-verification** TXT record, which will give you details about spam-classified mails by your domain. This is clearly optional. ``` @ IN TXT "google-site-verification=..." ``` [^1]: A **Fully Qualified Domain Name** (**FQDN**) is the complete (absolute) domain name for a specific computer or host, on the Internet. The FQDN consists of at least three parts divided by a dot: the hostname (myhost), the domain name (mydomain) and the top level domain in short **tld** (com). In the example of `mx.mailcow.email` the hostname would be `mx`, the domain name 'mailcow' and the tld `email`.