Reverse DNS, PTR Records, and Email Deliverability

Reverse DNS is forward DNS run backwards: instead of "what IP does this hostname resolve to," it asks "what hostname is registered for this IP." It rarely matters for normal browsing, but it's a hard requirement for production mail servers.

The mechanism

PTR records live under the .in-addr.arpa (IPv4) or .ip6.arpa (IPv6) zone, which the IP's owning network operator controls. Setting your own PTR requires asking your ISP / cloud provider; most allow it via a support ticket or control panel.

FCrDNS — forward-confirmed reverse DNS

The receiving mail server resolves your sending IP to a hostname (PTR), then resolves that hostname back to an IP (forward DNS). If the forward resolves back to the original IP, FCrDNS passes. If not, the mail is suspicious. Most major receivers reject mail that fails FCrDNS.

Our Reverse DNS tool runs both queries and reports the FCrDNS result.

Frequently asked questions

Can I set my own PTR record?

You ask whoever owns the IP range — usually your ISP or cloud provider. Most VPS and cloud providers expose this in the control panel.

Does FCrDNS matter for outbound web traffic?

Only marginally. Some sites use it as a bot signal, but it's not a hard gate the way it is for mail.

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