How does SPF alignment work with DMARC in HubSpot, and what are the implications for shared and dedicated senders?

Email marketer from Validity explains Sender Policy Framework (SPF) alignment for DMARC. It explains that SPF alignment requires that the domain in the From address matches the domain used to authenticate the email (return-path).

Email marketer from EasyDMARC clarifies SPF alignment's role in DMARC by stating that, for SPF to pass DMARC, the domain in the 'From' header must align with the domain used in the SPF check, either strictly or relaxed, depending on the DMARC policy.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains SPF and DMARC authentication, noting that for dedicated senders, customizing the return-path to align with the 'From' domain improves SPF alignment, which is necessary for DMARC compliance. Shared senders have limitations due to the shared nature of the infrastructure.

Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that SPF alignment is crucial for DMARC compliance. If SPF passes but doesn't align (domains don't match), DMARC can still fail if DKIM also fails. DMARC uses SPF and DKIM to verify the sender's authenticity.

Email marketer from Reddit discusses limitations with SPF alignment in HubSpot, noting that HubSpot's shared sending infrastructure may not allow full SPF alignment because the return-path domain is controlled by HubSpot, not the sender's domain.

Email marketer from MailerLite discusses setting up DMARC with a custom domain, mentioning that proper SPF and DKIM configuration are prerequisites for DMARC and that alignment ensures that emails are correctly authenticated, enhancing deliverability.

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that SPF alignment requires the from address domain to match the return path domain, which is not possible on HubSpot for shared senders. For dedicated senders, the return path must be a subdomain, which still doesn't achieve 100% matching for SPF to pass with strict alignment. They are investigating if their information is outdated, acknowledging that SPF can pass with relaxed alignment on shared senders.

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains All HubSpot messages sent over the Shared network should return a “PASS” result for SPF because their Sending IPs for the shared network are all included in their hubspotemail.net SPF policy. They urge customers to set up their organizational domain to point to their SPF.

Email marketer from Email Deliverability Forum explains that SPF alignment challenges with shared IPs, like those used by HubSpot, arise because the return-path domain is typically the ESP's domain, leading to SPF misalignment if strict alignment is enforced by DMARC.

Expert from Spamresource.com explains that SPF alignment is critical for DMARC to properly authenticate email. It highlights that if the sending domain doesn't align with the domain in the 'From' address, DMARC may reject the email unless DKIM provides alignment.

Expert from Email Geeks explains strict alignment means either the SPF domain or the d= domain is exactly the same as the domain in the 5322.from. Customers can pass DMARC based on DKIM signature alignment, and relaxed alignment is generally the recommended approach.

Expert from Email Geeks clarifies that relaxed alignment between the SPF domain and the 5322.from domain doesn't mean SPF or DMARC fails. As long as there's a valid SPF record containing the sending IP address for the return path domain, SPF passes, even if it's not in the same organizational space as the domain in the 5322.from.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that as DMARC adoption increases, ensuring SPF alignment becomes more important. They advise businesses to monitor DMARC reports to identify any authentication issues and to ensure alignment is correctly configured to avoid deliverability problems.

Expert from Email Geeks clarifies the SPF pass for mail from HubSpot is irrelevant to DMARC because the domain doesn't align, but this is acceptable because the DKIM signature aligns. DMARC considers both DKIM and SPF to account for different failure scenarios.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that for SPF to align, the domain presented to the receiving mail server during the SPF check (i.e., the domain in the 'MAIL FROM' or 'Return-Path' address) must match the domain in the 'From' header of the email.

Documentation from RFC Editor details DMARC alignment modes, explaining 'strict' and 'relaxed' alignment. Strict requires an exact domain match, while relaxed allows organizational domain matching. These modes impact how SPF and DKIM results are evaluated by DMARC.

Documentation from HubSpot explains how to use a DMARC policy with HubSpot. It details the steps for setting up DMARC records and understanding how HubSpot handles authentication for emails sent through its platform.