Sending domains

Before you can send email, you must add and verify a domain you own. Zend signs every message from that domain with DKIM and checks SPF alignment, which is what lets mailbox providers trust your mail.

You can only send from an address on a domain that is verified and owned by your account. Domains are managed from the dashboard under Email → Domains.

Add a sending domain

Add your domain in the dashboard under Email → Domains. Zend generates the DKIM and SPF records you need to publish at your DNS provider and shows them alongside the domain's verification status.

Note

Use a domain (or subdomain) you control the DNS for — for example mail.yourdomain.com. A dedicated subdomain keeps your sending reputation isolated from your other mail.

DNS setup

Add the records Zend gives you at your DNS provider. There are two kinds:

  • DKIM — CNAME (or TXT) records that let Zend cryptographically sign your outgoing mail so receivers can verify it wasn't altered in transit.
  • SPF — a TXT record that authorizes Zend's SES-backed infrastructure to send on behalf of your domain.

The exact record values are shown per-domain in the dashboard. A typical setup looks like this:

# DKIM (CNAME) — values are unique per domain
abc123._domainkey.yourdomain.com   CNAME   abc123.dkim.tryzend.com
def456._domainkey.yourdomain.com   CNAME   def456.dkim.tryzend.com
ghi789._domainkey.yourdomain.com   CNAME   ghi789.dkim.tryzend.com

# SPF (TXT)
yourdomain.com   TXT   "v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all"

Note

If you already publish an SPF record, don't add a second one — merge the include:amazonses.com mechanism into your existing v=spf1 record. A domain may only have one SPF TXT record.

DKIM/SPF verification

Once the records propagate, return to Email → Domains and click Verify. Zend checks that the DKIM and SPF records resolve correctly and marks the domain as verified.

DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to propagate. Until the domain is verified, any POST /email/send request using a from address on that domain is rejected.

After a domain is verified you can send from any address on it. Head to Send Email to make your first request, and see Deliverability to track how your mail performs.

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