What Does Authentication-Results Mean?
Understanding the Authentication-Results header in emails
Table of Contents
What Does Authentication-Results Mean?
The Authentication-Results header in email shows comprehensive authentication verification results performed by email servers. It contains SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication results in a standardized format, showing whether each authentication method passed or failed.
The header format is: Authentication-Results: server.com; spf=pass; dkim=pass; dmarc=pass. Results show as 'pass', 'fail', 'softfail', 'neutral', or 'none' for each authentication method. This header is essential for verifying email authenticity, diagnosing deliverability issues, and understanding why emails may be filtered as spam.
Analyze Authentication-Results headers using our email header analyzer to automatically verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication and troubleshoot deliverability issues.
Header Format
Standard Format
Authentication-Results headers follow this format: Authentication-Results: server.com; method=result (details); method=result (details)
Example Header
Authentication-Results: mail.example.com; spf=pass smtp.mailfrom=sender.com; dkim=pass header.d=sender.com; dmarc=pass policy.dmarc=quarantine
Header Components
- server.com: Server that performed authentication
- method=result: Authentication method and result
- (details): Additional authentication details
Authentication Components
SPF Results
SPF authentication results: spf=pass, spf=fail, spf=softfail, spf=neutral, or spf=none
Verify SPF records if authentication fails.
DKIM Results
DKIM authentication results: dkim=pass, dkim=fail, or dkim=none
Verify DKIM records if authentication fails.
DMARC Results
DMARC policy results: dmarc=pass, dmarc=fail, dmarc=quarantine, or dmarc=none
Verify DMARC records if policy fails.
Result Interpretation
Pass Results
pass indicates authentication succeeded. All three methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) should pass for optimal deliverability.
Fail Results
fail indicates authentication failed. Failed authentication significantly hurts deliverability and may cause spam filtering.
Softfail Results
softfail indicates authentication soft failed. This is less severe than hard fail but still affects deliverability.
Neutral Results
neutral indicates no clear authentication result. This provides minimal authentication benefit.
None Results
none indicates no authentication record found. Missing authentication hurts deliverability.
Using Authentication-Results
1. Extract Headers
Analyze headers using our email header analyzer for comprehensive authentication analysis.
2. Review Results
Review Authentication-Results header for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results.
3. Verify Failures
If any authentication fails, verify records using our authentication checker.
4. Fix Issues
Fix authentication configuration issues identified in header analysis.
5. Monitor Regularly
Regularly check Authentication-Results headers to ensure authentication is working correctly.
