DNS : "@" - "*" - "<blank>" record

jibbajabba

So I get what the "*" record does - like anything 'wilfcard' - just don't really get what "@" or '<blank>' does - blank meaning leaving the record type blank ...

Some hosting companies have for example "@ in front of an SPF record, but some don't support @" and it LOOKS like they leave it blank.

Can someone shed some light on me ?

Claymoore

It's usually either the '@' or the domain that goes in the TXT SPF record, depending on your DNS provider. AWS Route53 leaves it blank, while GoDaddy uses the @ sign. This is a record for the top level of your domain so it's a query against your domain. I use them for:

• TXT record to verify domain ownership for Office 365. If you own DNS, you own the domain - whether you're paying for it or not
• TXT record as a federation proof to verify domain ownership for the Microsoft Federated Gateway to create a trust that supports an organizational relationship for cross-forest (OnPrem - O365) Free/Busy sharing
• SPF records for anti-spam, usually for Office 365 and a bulk mail service
• DKIM signing for anti-spam, if your provider supports DKIM. I have only used DKIM with Amazon WorkMail.

We're not querying for a specific record, like WWW, we want some general information about the domain.