---
name: "spfd.mail-spf-query-perl"
section: "8p"
platform: "linux"
package: "libmail-spf-query-perl"
version: "1:1.999.1-3"
release: "Debian 5.0 (Lenny)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/spfd.mail-spf-query-perl"
---

# spfd.mail-spf-query-perl(8p)

simple forking daemon to provide SPF query services

## NAME

spfd - simple forking daemon to provide SPF query services

## VERSION

2006-02-07

## SYNOPSIS

**spfd** **--port** *port* \[**--set-user** *uid*\|*username*\] \[**--set-group** *gid*\|*groupname*\]

**spfd** **--socket** *filename* \[**--socket-user** *uid*\|*username*\] \[**--socket-group** *gid*\|*groupname*\] \[**--socket-perms** *octal-perms*\] \[**--set-user** *uid*\|*username*\] \[**--set-group** *gid*\|*groupname*\]

**spfd** **--help**

## DESCRIPTION

**spfd** is a simple forking Sender Policy Framework (SPF) query proxy server. spfd receives and answers SPF query requests on a TCP/IP or UNIX domain socket.

The **--port** form listens on a TCP/IP socket on the specified *port*.  The default port is **5970**.

The **--socket** form listens on a UNIX domain socket that is created with the specified *filename*.  The socket can be assigned specific user and group ownership with the **--socket-user** and **--socket-group** options, and specific filesystem permissions with the **--socket-perms** option.

Generally, spfd can be instructed with the **--set-user** and **--set-group** options to drop root privileges and change to another user and group before it starts listening for requests.

The **--help** form prints usage information for **spfd**.

## REQUEST

A request consists of a series of lines delimited by \\x0A (LF) characters (or whatever your system considers a newline).  Each line must be of the form *key***=***value*, where the following keys are required:

- **ip**

  The sender IP address.

- **sender**

  The envelope sender address (from the SMTP `"MAIL FROM"` command).

- **helo**

  The envelope sender hostname (from the SMTP `"HELO"` command).

## RESPONSE

spfd responds to query requests with similar series of lines of the form *key***=***value*.  The most important response keys are:

- **result**

  The result of the SPF query:

  - *pass*

    The specified IP address is an authorized mailer for the sender domain/address.

  - *fail*

    The specified IP address is not an authorized mailer for the sender domain/address.

  - *softfail*

    The specified IP address is not an authorized mailer for the sender domain/address, however the domain is still in the process of transitioning to SPF.

  - *neutral*

    The sender domain makes no assertion about the status of the IP address.

  - *unknown*

    The sender domain has a syntax error in its SPF record.

  - *error*

    A temporary DNS error occurred while resolving the sender policy.  Try again later.

  - *none*

    There is no SPF record for the sender domain.

- **smtp\_comment**

  The text that should be included in the receiver's SMTP response.

- **header\_comment**

  The text that should be included as a comment in the message's `"Received-SPF:"` header.

- **spf\_record**

  The SPF record of the envelope sender domain.

For the description of other response keys see Mail::SPF::Query.

For more information on SPF see \<http://www.openspf.org\>.

## EXAMPLE

A running spfd could be tested using the `"netcat"` utility like this:

```
    $ echo -e "ip=11.22.33.44\nsender=user@pobox.com\nhelo=spammer.example.net\n" | nc localhost 5970
    result=neutral
    smtp_comment=Please see http://spf.pobox.com/why.html?sender=user%40pobox.com&ip=11.22.33.44&receiver=localhost
    header_comment=localhost: 11.22.33.44 is neither permitted nor denied by domain of user@pobox.com
    guess=neutral
    smtp_guess=
    header_guess=
    guess_tf=neutral
    smtp_tf=
    header_tf=
    spf_record=v=spf1 ?all
```

## SEE ALSO

Mail::SPF::Query, \<http://www.openspf.org\>

## AUTHORS

This version of **spfd** was written by Meng Weng Wong \<mengwong+spf@pobox.com\>. Improved argument parsing was added by Julian Mehnle \<julian@mehnle.net\>.

This man-page was written by Julian Mehnle \<julian@mehnle.net\>.