EMZETT.TXT Record
In short: A DNS record type that stores arbitrary free text for a domain — originally intended for humans, today mostly used in a machine-readable way.
In more detail: Common uses are domain verification (e.g. with Vercel or Google Search Console: “add this TXT record to confirm ownership”) and email security mechanisms like SPF or DKIM, which use a TXT record to specify which servers are allowed to send mail on behalf of the domain.
In Depth
A TXT record is deliberately format-free — it simply contains a string whose meaning is defined exclusively by convention between the sending and reading system, not by the DNS standard itself:
emzett-digital.com. 3600 IN TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.resend.com ~all"
_dmarc.emzett-digital.com. 3600 IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine"
The two best-known applications in the email context:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): lists which servers are allowed to send mail on behalf of the domain — receiving mail servers can use this to detect forged sender addresses.
- DKIM: stores a public key that can be used to verify a cryptographic signature in the mail header, proving that the mail actually came unaltered from the stated sender.
In addition, many services use a TXT record purely for ownership verification: you’re asked to store a random value specified by the service as a TXT record — if the service can read this value back via a DNS query, domain ownership is considered confirmed, since only the actual owner of the domain’s DNS management can set this record.
See also: DNS Records