Domains

DNS records

The DNS records Sooner asks you to add, what each one is for, and how to troubleshoot a domain that stays pending.

When you add a domain, Sooner generates a set of DNS records that you publish at your DNS provider. Always copy the exact names and values from the domain page in the dashboard, or from the records field of GET /domains/{id}. The values are specific to your domain and are not the same for every customer.

The records

Record	Type	Name	Value	Required
DKIM	CNAME	`<token-1>._domainkey.<your-domain>`	`<value from dashboard>`	Yes
DKIM	CNAME	`<token-2>._domainkey.<your-domain>`	`<value from dashboard>`	Yes
DKIM	CNAME	`<token-3>._domainkey.<your-domain>`	`<value from dashboard>`	Yes
MX	MX, priority 10	`send.<your-domain>`	`<value from dashboard>`	Yes
SPF	TXT	`send.<your-domain>`	`<value from dashboard>`	Yes
DMARC	TXT	`_dmarc.<your-domain>`	`v=DMARC1; p=none;`	Recommended

The <token-N> parts are generated per domain. Replace <your-domain> with the domain you added, for example mail.yourcompany.com.

What each record does

DKIM (three CNAME records) lets receiving servers verify that mail from your domain was signed by Sooner and not altered. This is what verifies your domain. Once DKIM validates, you can send.
MX on the send. subdomain receives bounce and feedback messages for your sending domain. It sets up the return path for your mail.
SPF on the send. subdomain authorizes Sooner to send for the return-path domain, which aligns SPF with your domain for DMARC.
DMARC is optional. v=DMARC1; p=none; starts monitoring without telling receivers to reject anything. Sooner does not verify it, and its status stays not_started. If you already publish a DMARC record for the domain, keep yours.

The MX and SPF records live on the send. subdomain, not on your root, so they do not conflict with the mail you already receive on your domain or with an existing SPF record.

Add the records

Copy each name and value from the dashboard with its copy button.
At your DNS provider, create each record with the matching type. Use the TTL Auto or your provider's default.
Many providers want the name relative to the domain, not fully qualified. The dashboard shows the fully qualified name, for example abc123._domainkey.mail.yourcompany.com. If you manage yourcompany.com, enter abc123._domainkey.mail. If your provider appends the domain automatically and you enter the full name, the record ends up with the domain twice.
Do not add a trailing space or quotes to the values, except where your provider requires quotes around TXT values.
Click Check DNS now.

Record statuses

Each record has a status in the dashboard and in the API:

Status	Meaning
`pending`	Not seen yet, or still being checked.
`verified`	Found and valid.
`failed`	Found but wrong, or not found in time.
`not_started`	Not checked. This is the status of the optional DMARC record.

The three DKIM records share one status, because DKIM is checked as a whole. The MX and SPF records likewise share one status.

The records field in the API looks like this:

JSON

[
  {
    "record": "DKIM",
    "name": "<token-1>._domainkey.mail.yourcompany.com",
    "type": "CNAME",
    "ttl": "Auto",
    "status": "pending",
    "value": "<value from dashboard>"
  },
  {
    "record": "MX",
    "name": "send.mail.yourcompany.com",
    "type": "MX",
    "ttl": "Auto",
    "status": "pending",
    "value": "<value from dashboard>",
    "priority": 10
  },
  {
    "record": "SPF",
    "name": "send.mail.yourcompany.com",
    "type": "TXT",
    "ttl": "Auto",
    "status": "pending",
    "value": "<value from dashboard>"
  },
  {
    "record": "DMARC",
    "name": "_dmarc.mail.yourcompany.com",
    "type": "TXT",
    "ttl": "Auto",
    "status": "not_started",
    "value": "v=DMARC1; p=none;"
  }
]

Troubleshooting

The domain stays pending. DNS changes can take minutes to hours to propagate, and Sooner keeps checking for up to 72 hours. Confirm the records at your DNS provider, then look them up from a terminal:

Shell

dig +short CNAME <token-1>._domainkey.mail.yourcompany.com
dig +short MX send.mail.yourcompany.com
dig +short TXT send.mail.yourcompany.com

The records look right but the status is failed. Check for a doubled domain in the name, a CNAME that your provider proxies or flattens, or a value with extra characters. Fix the record, then click Check DNS now.

DKIM is verified but MX and SPF are not. You can send. Fix the send. records when you can to improve deliverability.

The domain was verified and is now failed. Someone removed or changed a DKIM record. Restore it and check again.

See Add a domain for the verification schedule.