What we check
We verify your domain has valid MX records
We verify your domain has valid MX (mail exchange) records configured correctly and in the right priority order. MX records tell other mail servers where to deliver email for your domain. Missing or misconfigured MX records mean emails bounce or get lost.
Security Impact
Why MX records are critical
Missing MX records = no email
Without valid MX records, emails sent to your domain will bounce immediately. Senders receive "no mail exchanger found" errors. Your domain cannot receive email.
Misconfigured priority causes delays
Wrong MX priority values can route emails through backup servers not configured to handle production traffic, causing delays or lost messages.
Business communication depends on it
Email is critical for business operations. Missing or broken MX records mean missed customer inquiries, failed password resets, and broken workflows.
Silent failures are common
MX record issues often go unnoticed until someone reports bounced emails. By then, you've missed important communications.
Implementation
How to configure MX records
With Httpeace
Httpeace automatically validates your MX records:
- Add your domain to Httpeace
- We check MX records automatically every day
- Get instant alerts when MX records are missing or misconfigured
- See recommended MX configuration in your dashboard
Without Httpeace
Manual MX record configuration and monitoring requires DNS expertise:
# Check MX records via command line dig MX yourdomain.com # Test MX priority ordering dig MX yourdomain.com +short # Verify mail servers respond telnet mail.example.com 25 # Check SPF alignment with MX dig TXT yourdomain.com | grep spf # Use online validators nslookup -type=mx yourdomain.com
You'll need to:
- Understand MX record format (priority and mail server hostname)
- Configure MX records for your specific email provider (Google, Microsoft, etc.)
- Set correct priority values (lower numbers = higher priority)
- Add multiple MX records for redundancy and failover
- Wait 24-48 hours for DNS propagation after changes
- Test MX records with dig, nslookup, or online tools
- Verify mail servers are actually responding on port 25
- Ensure SPF records authorize the same mail servers
- Monitor MX records daily to catch accidental deletions
- Handle different MX configurations across subdomains
- Update MX records when changing email providers
- Coordinate with email provider for correct MX values
- Test email delivery after any DNS changes
- Document MX configuration for disaster recovery
- Set up alerts if MX records become invalid or unreachable
MX record configuration is error-prone. Wrong priority values, typos in hostnames, or missing records cause immediate email delivery failures that can go unnoticed for hours or days.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What are MX records?
MX (Mail Exchange) records are DNS records that specify which mail servers handle email for your domain. When someone sends email to you@yourdomain.com, their mail server looks up your MX records to find where to deliver the message.
What does MX record priority mean?
Priority determines which mail server to try first. Lower numbers = higher priority. Sending servers try the lowest priority first, then fallback to higher priority values if the first server is unavailable. This provides redundancy.
How many MX records should I have?
At minimum, have one MX record. For reliability, have 2-3 MX records with different priority values pointing to different mail servers. This ensures email delivery continues if one server goes down.
How often does Httpeace check MX records?
We check MX records daily. We verify they exist, point to valid mail servers, and have proper priority configuration. We alert you immediately if MX records are missing or misconfigured.
Can I use multiple email providers?
Yes, but it's complex. You can have MX records pointing to different providers with different priorities, but managing spam filters, authentication (SPF/DKIM), and routing becomes complicated. Usually it's simpler to use one primary provider.
Related checks
Other checks in this category
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