DMARC — Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance
Definition: An email policy that builds on SPF and DKIM to tell receiving servers what to do with messages that fail authentication.
Example
A "p=reject" DMARC policy tells Gmail to bounce any email impersonating your domain. Essential for protecting brand and deliverability.
When you'll hear it
DMARC shows up most often in engineering planning, architecture reviews, and sprint retrospectives. When someone uses it, they're usually referring to domain-based message authentication, reporting and conformance — and they expect the room to already know what that means.
FAQs
What does DMARC stand for?
DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance.
What does DMARC mean in technology and engineering?
An email policy that builds on SPF and DKIM to tell receiving servers what to do with messages that fail authentication.
Where will I hear DMARC used at work?
DMARC comes up most often in engineering planning, architecture reviews, and sprint retrospectives. It's used as shorthand for domain-based message authentication, reporting and conformance, so people assume you already know the term.