How to use DKIM to sign emails with different header from domains to comply with DMARC?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from UltraSMTP.com explains that when sending from multiple domains, each domain needs to have its own DKIM record. Configure DKIM in your UltraSMTP account and then publish the DKIM record in your domain's DNS.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that if DKIM's d= value is the same as your Header-From domain (or a root domain of it if having the adkim tag set to relaxed), you're fine for alignment. DMARC only needs alignment with either SPF or DKIM to pass, not for both.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that DKIM is an option when signing with DMARC.
Email marketer from AuthSMTP.com details that DMARC uses DKIM and SPF to authenticate email. For DKIM, the 'd=' domain in the DKIM header must align with the 'Header From' domain to pass DMARC authentication. When sending from multiple domains, DKIM records must be configured for each.
Email marketer from SparkPost.com explains that DMARC compliance requires DKIM alignment. If using multiple 'Header From' domains, set up DKIM for each domain, ensuring signatures match the respective 'Header From' domain. This involves generating a unique DKIM key and adding the appropriate DNS record for each domain.
Email marketer from Sendgrid.com explains that using DKIM to sign emails from different 'Header From' domains requires setting up DKIM for each domain in your Sendgrid account. Ensure you generate DKIM keys and DNS records for each domain.
Email marketer from Reddit.com advises that If the d= domain doesn't match the From: header domain the email is considered not aligned and DMARC will fail. Make sure you are signing with a DKIM key associated with the correct From: domain.
Email marketer from Postmarkapp.com shares that to comply with DMARC when using multiple 'Header From' domains, each domain must have its own DKIM record. The DKIM signature must align with the 'Header From' domain for each email.
Email marketer from EasyDMARC.com shares that DKIM signatures must align with the 'Header From' domain to pass DMARC authentication. When using different 'Header From' domains, ensure each domain has its own DKIM key and that the email is signed with the appropriate key.
Email marketer from Mailgun.com shares that to comply with DMARC using DKIM, the DKIM signature must align with the 'Header From' domain. When sending emails with different 'Header From' domains, configure DKIM for each domain and ensure proper signing.
Email marketer from Stackoverflow.com explains that you need a mechanism to select the correct DKIM key to sign with based on the From: header being used in the email. You need to configure your mail server to use the correct key when sending for each domain.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise (Laura Atkins) discusses that for DMARC compliance with DKIM, the domain in the DKIM signature ('d=' tag) needs to align with the 'Header From' domain. If you are using multiple 'Header From' domains, each must have properly configured DKIM signatures associated with them.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that DKIM (Signature) would help as long as it aligns with the domain you're trying to protect with DMARC (DNS Entry). This would create an unaligned DMARC, which is ok for some, and can potentially be tricky to get to enforcement, and looking to build towards full alignment is something you should do longer term.
Expert from Spam Resource (John Levine) explains that to use DKIM with different Header From domains and comply with DMARC, you need to ensure that the DKIM signature aligns with the 'Header From' domain. This means each domain must have its own DKIM key and the email must be signed with the key corresponding to the 'Header From' domain being used.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that in many places an ESP will sign with a client branded key and a network key (ESP level) - multiple keys are fine and that if you want to add a second key ferozo.com should have the second on assuming that is consistent across all your various mail servers.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft.com details how Exchange Online uses DKIM. To sign different Header From domains you must have multiple accepted domains and configure DKIM for each accepted domain. Exchange Online signs messages that originate from your domain with DKIM and validates incoming messages.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin explains the process of setting up DKIM for your domain within Google Workspace. To use DKIM with different 'Header From' domains hosted on Google Workspace, generate DKIM keys for each domain and enable signing in the Google Workspace admin console.
Documentation from Valimail.com explains that DKIM can sign emails on behalf of multiple domains, even if the 'Header From' domain differs from the 'Return-Path' domain. The key is to ensure the DKIM signature aligns with the domain specified in the 'd=' tag of the DKIM header.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC leverages DKIM for authentication, requiring alignment between the domain in the DKIM signature ('d=' tag) and the 'Header From' domain. To comply with DMARC when using different 'Header From' domains, ensure DKIM signatures align with each respective domain.
Documentation from RFC-Editor.org (RFC 6376) details the standards for DKIM, explaining that a DKIM signature authenticates the message content and specific headers, including the 'Header From' field. To use DKIM with different 'Header From' domains, the signature must validate against the domain specified in the 'd=' tag of the DKIM header for each domain.