DKIM stands for DomainKeys Identified Email. It provides a way to validate that an organization delivering an email has the right to do so.
Setting up DKIM
DKIM requires the addition of public keys into your DNS zone. The key is often provided to you by the organization that is sending your email, for example SendGrid, Postmark, or Google Apps. The key will either be inserted directly into your zone as a TXT record, or it will be a CNAME pointing to the key in your provider’s DNS.
If you’re given a string representing the DKIM, it usually looks something like this:
k=rsa; t=s; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQDGMjj8MVaESl30KSPYdLaEreSYzvOVh15u9YKAmTLgk1ecr4BCRq3Vkg3Xa2QrEQWbIvQj9FNqBYOr3XIczzU8gkK5Kh42P4C3DgNiBvlNNk2BlA5ITN/EvVAn/ImjoGq5IrcO+hAj2iSAozYTEpJAKe0NTrj49CIkj5JI6ibyJwIDAQAB
Insert this into a TXT record. Do this by following the instructions for creating a record, selecting TXT as the record type, and entering the string you were given into the Content field.
Your provider will also give you a specific subdomain to use, usually something like:
something._domainkey
Enter this subdomain in the “Host Name” field.
If your provider gives you a fully-qualified name that ends with your domain name, DO NOT include your domain name in the “Host Name” field when you add the TXT record. If you’re given pm._domainkey.yourdomain.com, only enter pm._domainkey in the “Name” field.
Quotes and slashes?
If your provider gave you the DKIM record and it included double quotes around the record, or backslashes before semi-colons in the record, you may safely remove them. The quotes are handled automatically by our name servers, and the semi-colons will automatically be escaped if necessary.
Sometimes there will be forward slashes or other unusual characters in the DKIM record. Don’t modify those. If you have any questions or concerns, contact support.
Verifying your DKIM with an online tool
Verify your DKIM with an online tool like this one from Treehouse. This tool verifies that you have SPF and DKIM records. In the DKIM selector field, just add the first part from the subdomain your DKIM is under. For example, if your DKIM is at google._domainkey.aetrion.com, then the DKIM selector is “google”.
Technical details
If you want to read more about the technical details of DKIM, head over to DKIM.org.
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