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DNS Record Maintenance for Your Marketing Cloud Engagement Custom Domain and Email Sending
Marketing Cloud Engagement recommends using a custom domain for email sending and Reply Mail Management activities. Domain configuration for use with Engagement requires several DNS entries for proper operation.
This document provides a high-level guide for customers who want to self-host domains. See this knowledge article for more information: Sender Authentication Package (SAP) Custom Domain Requirements
Engagement can’t provide specific instructions for DNS configuration. Different hosts and registrars use different processes, and any change can cause errors with DNS authentication or related setups. Engagement sometimes adds a name server or changes sending IP addresses, requiring updates to your DNS records. This modification requires direct access to the IT or domain host configuration instructions.
For example, set the MX entries for Engagement servers only, or Reply Mail Management reply filters fail to operate correctly. To ensure that all aspects of Engagement can interact with the domain correctly, set all entries provided in a zone file. The table shows a sample of the applicable records.
| localpart | FQDN | Type | Value |
| @ | sample.example.com | MX | Allows email sends using Engagement servers |
| bounce | bounce.sample.example.com | MX | Tracks email sends and bounces |
| reply | reply.sample.example.com | MX | Allows Reply Mail Management to handle filters and forwards replies to a specified address |
| leave | leave.sample.example.com | MX | Allows subscribers to unsubscribe |
| image | image.sample.example.com | CNAME | Points to Engagement image servers |
| view | view.sample.example.com | CNAME | Points to Engagement View As Web Page servers |
| click | click.sample.example.com | CNAME | Points to Engagement click URL servers for click-throughs and link clicks |
| pages | pages.sample.example.com | CNAME | Points to Engagement microsite and landing page servers |
| cloud | cloud.sample.example.com | CNAME | Points to Engagement cloud page servers |
| mta | mta.sample.example.com | A | Points to a dedicated IP address |
| example._domainkey | example._domainkey.sample.example.com | TXT | Authenticates DKIM and DK Selector |
| @ | sample.example.com | TXT | SPF1 (SPF status authorizes bounce host in mfrom identity) |
| bounce | bounce.sample.example.com | TXT | SPF1 for bounce host |
| reply | reply.sample.example.com | TXT | SPF1 for reply host |
| dmarc | _dmarc.sample.example.com | TXT | Protects email senders and recipients from the unauthorized use of email domains |
Engagement offers limited support for self-hosted DNS. If you self-host, consult a technical professional to learn how to configure your name server and negotiate conflicts with other services running on the same domain.
Another option is to delegate a domain or subdomain to the Salesforce Engagement name servers. Either solution requires only four NS entries in your DNS.
- ns1.exacttarget.com
- ns2.exacttarget.com
- ns3.exacttarget.com
- ns4.exacttarget.com
Delegating a subdomain allows you to maintain control of your domain and allows Engagement access to change DNS entries as needed. See Custom Subdomain Delegation.
