What is the difference between DKIM and DomainKey and how do you implement DomainKey?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Stack Overflow responds that DomainKeys is an older authentication standard, less secure and now superseded by DKIM. Suggests it's generally not recommended to implement DomainKeys in a new system.
Email marketer from EmailSecurityGPT answers that DKIM is the modern and recommended protocol, and it's generally better to focus on DKIM, SPF and DMARC setup for modern email authentication. Focusing on implementing DomainKeys would be a waste of time.
Email marketer from AuthSMTP responds that DomainKeys is an obsolete method of email authentication that has been replaced by DKIM. AuthSMTP recommends focusing on DKIM, SPF and DMARC for modern email authentication standards.
Email marketer from MXToolbox answers that DomainKeys is considered an older technology, and it's highly recommended that modern email systems use DKIM, SPF, and DMARC together for the best authentication and deliverability.
Email marketer from SuperUser notes DomainKeys is an older, less secure protocol compared to DKIM. Implementing it would involve configuring a DNS TXT record with your public key, however, it's not advisable for modern systems.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that there's no solution as domainkeys is deprecated, useless and logically unsupported, being replaced by dkim. Senders still signing with domainkeys are using outdated systems that aren't properly maintained.
Email marketer from MailChannels responds that DKIM is the newer standard which provides better security by using cryptographic signatures to verify the sender's identity and message integrity. Implementing DKIM typically involves generating a key pair and adding a DNS record.
Email marketer from Reddit user shares that DomainKeys is an obsolete standard, and you're much better off focusing on DKIM, SPF, and DMARC. Suggests that implementing DomainKeys is unlikely to improve deliverability.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that signing a lot of messages with domainkey will consume CPU resources and slow down your delivery throughput.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that DomainKeys is old, and that you should focus on DKIM for authentication as it's much more widely adopted and useful.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that he's not sure anyone is still checking DomainKeys and that having it is sorta pointless. Suggests asking the provider if they even support signing these keys still.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that you can look for open source libraries or MTA plugins that sign with domain keys, but that code is probably more than a decade old and may no longer work because Domain Keys is officially deprecated and not supported any longer.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that DomainKeys is an obsolete email authentication technology, largely replaced by DKIM. He jokes that the only reason to implement DomainKeys now would be as an exercise in historical archaeology.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that DomainKeys were basically deprecated by DKIM.
What the documentation says6Technical articles
Documentation from RFC 4870 (DomainKey specification) details the technical specifications for DomainKeys. This is largely for historical/archival purposes, as the standard has been superseded. Describes the method for signing email messages.
Documentation from Cisco notes DomainKey is an authentication method which validates the domain of the sender. It details the steps for configuration using a public/private key pair in DNS records, but generally advises migrating to DKIM.
Documentation from dmarcian says that DomainKeys is the predecessor to DKIM. DKIM provides improved security and is the recommended authentication method today. Configuring domain keys is no longer recommended.
Documentation from Port25, a provider of email solutions, says that DomainKeys is an older standard superseded by DKIM. DKIM provides better cryptographic techniques and more flexibility. Provides instructions for configuring but notes its obsolescence.
Documentation from DKIM.org explains that DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an email authentication system designed to verify the DNS domain of an email sender and the integrity of the message content. It evolved from earlier systems like DomainKeys, which is now largely deprecated.
Documentation from ReturnPath (now Validity) answers that DomainKeys is an older email authentication method that has been largely replaced by DKIM due to DKIM's enhanced security and flexibility. DomainKeys implementation involved creating a public/private key pair and publishing the public key in DNS TXT record.