Where can I find resources to help me understand email headers?

Email marketer from Reddit recommends starting with resources explaining SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to understand email authentication and how it's reflected in headers, as well as using online header analyzers to break down complex information.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares a link to Kickbox's guide to email headers.

Email marketer from SparkPost shares that analyzing email headers can help diagnose deliverability issues by examining the 'Received' headers to trace the email's path, authentication results (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and potential spam filter flags.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that email headers are like the envelope of a letter, containing information about the message's origin, destination, and path. Key components include 'From,' 'To,' 'Subject,' 'Date,' 'MIME-Version,' 'Content-Type,' and 'Message-ID,' each serving a specific purpose in email delivery and rendering.

Email marketer from GMass shares that focusing on headers like 'Authentication-Results,' 'Received,' and 'Return-Path' is crucial for assessing deliverability. These headers provide insights into authentication checks, email routing, and bounce handling.

Email marketer from StackOverflow advises that 'X-' headers are non-standard headers often used by email servers and applications to include custom information, such as spam scores or routing details. Understanding them requires knowledge of the specific systems that add them.

Email marketer from Mailchimp shares that Email headers contain the routing information and metadata for a message. It’s useful for tracking spam and other problems, and can help to authenticate an email’s sender.

Email marketer from Litmus explains that understanding essential email headers like 'From,' 'To,' 'Subject,' 'Date,' 'Message-ID,' and 'MIME-Version' is crucial for ensuring proper email rendering and deliverability. Each header provides important information for email clients and servers.

Email marketer from EmailToolTester suggests using online email header analyzer tools to automatically parse and interpret email headers, highlighting key deliverability metrics and potential issues without requiring manual analysis.

Email marketer from Postmark says that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are critical email authentication methods, with information about their results found in the email headers. Understanding these helps diagnose why emails may be failing authentication checks.

Email marketer from Mailosaur responds that when testing emails the X- headers provide information about the the mail servers configuration.

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that tools and resources that explain the meaning of different header fields, authentication results (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and provide insights into the email's path and potential deliverability issues can be used to understand email headers.

Expert from Email Geeks shares a link to a webinar by Jennifer Nespola Lantz and Sebastian Kluth about email headers.

Expert from Spam Resource recommends using their own email header analyzer tool available on their website to dissect and understand email headers, specifically focusing on identifying spam-related information and authentication results.

Documentation from RFC Editor describes the Internet Message Format which specifies the syntax for text messages that are sent between computer users, within one computer, or between computers. This includes the message header fields and their structure, providing a technical standard for understanding header components.

Documentation from Microsoft Learn explains how to view internet message headers in Outlook on the web, detailing the steps to access and analyze the header information for troubleshooting email flow and authentication issues in Exchange Online.

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that Gmail message headers can be analyzed to troubleshoot email delivery issues. It involves viewing the original message, copying the header, and using tools like Messageheader to analyze authentication results, delivery delays, and the message's path.

Documentation from DMARC.org shares DMARC is designed to give email domain owners the ability to protect their domain from unauthorized use, commonly known as email spoofing. The header allows you to track the DMARC configuration.

Documentation from IETF provides a detailed technical specification for the 'Received' trace header field, which is vital for understanding the path an email took. It's found at <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3885>.