How do I implement DomainKeys and is it still a relevant email authentication method?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit comments that implementing DomainKeys isn't worth the effort because it's outdated. Instead, focus on SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for modern email authentication.
Email marketer from ServerFault advises that DomainKeys is old and you should use DKIM instead. It provides better security and compatibility with modern email systems.
Email marketer from EmailDrip explains DKIM helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks by verifying the sender's identity. This improves email deliverability and protects your domain's reputation.
Email marketer from MXToolbox mentions that DomainKeys is an older email authentication method largely replaced by DKIM. It's generally not necessary to implement it for modern email deliverability.
Email marketer from Postmark says that DKIM works by adding a digital signature to the header of your email messages. This signature is then verified by the recipient's email server using a public key published in your domain's DNS records. If the signature is valid, the recipient server can be confident that the message has not been tampered with and that it truly originated from your domain.
Email marketer from StackOverflow shares that DKIM is the standard now and DomainKeys has been deprecated. Focus on setting up DKIM properly.
Marketer from Email Geeks clarifies that even if a message is signed with DomainKeys, Yahoo and Google do not necessarily check for it, and this would be reflected in the authentication results.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that Yahoo implemented DomainKeys before it was vetted by the IETF group, which is why it didn't gain much traction, drawing parallels with MS's attempt to implement SPF2.0. He also shared a link to interesting reading material on how SPF, DKIM, and DMARC were developed.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks shares that RFC4870 provides the information needed to implement DomainKeys, requiring software development and cryptography libraries.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that the current best practice for DomainKeys is to not use it, as it is obsolete and largely merged into DKIM.
Expert from Spam Resource emphasizes the importance of email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for deliverability and brand protection. While it doesn't explicitly say DomainKeys is deprecated, the focus on modern methods makes it clear that those are the methods to use to secure your brand.
Expert from Email Geeks notes that RFC 4870 was published alongside RFC 4871 (the first DKIM RFC) and was formally obsoleted by it.
Expert from Word to the Wise strongly recommends implementing DKIM and DMARC, stating that SPF alone is insufficient and can cause deliverability problems if not configured correctly. DomainKeys is not mentioned, implying it is not relevant.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Valimail recommends publishing a DMARC record, setting up SPF and DKIM to ensure better authentication. DomainKeys are not even mentioned in relation to DMARC.
Documentation from IETF explains that DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) defines a mechanism by which email message senders can digitally sign their messages, providing a means for recipient systems to verify the authenticity and integrity of the message. Although this document specifies DomainKeys, it has been obsoleted by RFC 4871 which specify DKIM.
Documentation from IETF explains that DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) defines a mechanism by which email message senders can digitally sign their messages, providing a means for recipient systems to verify the authenticity and integrity of the message. This specification obsoletes the original DomainKeys specification.
Documentation from SourceForge provides resources and tools for implementing DomainKeys, including software packages and documentation, although it's essential to note that DomainKeys is largely superseded by DKIM.