Introduction
To send emails via Xendy, your domain must be verified with DNS records. These ensure that your emails end up in the inbox and not in the spam folder. Without DNS records, you cannot send emails from Xendy.
What are DNS records?
DNS records are settings of your domain. They tell mail servers that Xendy is authorized to send emails on your behalf. This prevents your emails from being blocked or marked as spam.
Adding DNS records in Xendy
Step 1: open your DNS settings
- Log in to your domain provider (e.g. TransIP, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Shopify).
- Go to ‘DNS management’.
- Select your domain name.
Below you can find the documentation for adding DNS records at the most popular hosting providers in the Netherlands:
- TransIP: https://www.transip.nl/knowledgebase/155-wat-zijn-dns-en-nameservers
- Strato: https://www.strato.nl/blog/dns-beheer-bij-strato-instellen-van-eigen-nameservers/
- Hostnet: https://helpdesk.hostnet.nl/hc/nl-nl/articles/360015895078-Wat-houdt-DNS-beheer-in
- Yourhosting: https://www.yourhosting.nl/blog/dns-instellen/
- Versio: https://www.versio.nl/kennisbank/domeinen-dns/dns-beheren
- Antagonist: https://help.antagonist.nl/hc/nl/articles/8522015042577-Hoe-beheer-ik-DNS-records-van-een-losse-domeinnaam
- Mijndomein: https://mijndomein.zendesk.com/hc/nl/articles/8662529546769-DNS-Instellen
- Cloud86: https://support.cloud86.io/hc/nl/articles/360006959877-DNS-instellingen-aanpassen
- Vimexx: https://www.vimexx.nl/help/hoe-werkt-het-dns-beheer-in-directadmin
- Xel: https://www.xel.nl/academy/zonefile-manager/
- Shopify: https://help.shopify.com/nl/manual/domains/managing-domains/edit-dns-settings
- Hosting.nl: https://hosting.nl/support/hoe-beheer-ik-mijn-dns/
Step 2: retrieve records in Xendy
- Go to the left menu ‘Settings’, then select ‘Email settings‘ and then ‘Domain’.
- Click the ‘3 dots’ on the right of the configured domain name and choose ‘View DNS records’. You will now see:
- CNAME (3 records): for link tracking and branding.
- MX (1 record): for incoming information about bounces and spam reports.
- SPF (1 record): to authorize Xendy to send emails on your behalf.
- DMARC (1 record): for protection against spoofing.
- Add these DNS records via your hosting’s DNS management.
- After adding, Xendy will automatically validate them. This can take up to 72 hours.
Testing DNS records with MXToolbox
After adding the DNS records, it is recommended to check these records. This ensures that everything is correctly set everywhere and prevents verification from failing. A useful (free) tool for this is MXToolbox.
1. Check CNAME records
- Go to ‘MXToolbox CNAME Lookup‘.
- Enter the hostname provided by Xendy (e.g. link.yourdomain.com).
- Click ‘CNAME Lookup‘.
- Result: must exactly point to the value specified by Xendy.
2. Check MX record
- Go to ‘MXToolbox MX Lookup‘.
- Enter your domain (e.g. yourdomain.com).
- Click ‘MX Lookup‘.
- Result: must show the mail server specified by Xendy.
3. Check SPF record
- Go to ‘MXToolbox SPF Record Lookup‘.
- Enter your domain.
- Click ‘SPF Record Lookup‘.
- Result: check if the value include:_spf.xendy.com is included.
4. Check DMARC record
- Go to ‘MXToolbox DMARC Lookup‘.
- Enter your domain.
- Click ‘DMARC Lookup‘.
- Result: must show a valid DMARC record (e.g. v=DMARC1; p=none; …).
How to read the results?
- Everything correct: your domain is fully ready for use in Xendy.
- Warnings or errors: often typos, a missing record, or DNS propagation that is not yet complete (can take up to 48 hours).
- No record found: check whether you really added the record at your domain provider.
