Glossary

DMARC reports (RUA and RUF)

Also called: rua, ruf, aggregate reports, forensic reports

The two reporting addresses in a DMARC record. `rua` receives periodic aggregate XML reports summarising authentication results across all mail claiming the domain; `ruf` receives per-message failure reports.

In plain terms

RUA is the regular summary. RUF is the individual incident report, and few receivers still send it.

Why it matters for deliverability

Aggregate reports are the only practical way to discover every system sending as your domain before you turn on enforcement. Without them you are guessing at what a reject policy will break.

What to do about it

  • Always publish a rua address, even at p=none.
  • Parse the XML rather than reading it by hand — the volume gets unmanageable quickly.
  • Do not rely on ruf: many receivers decline to send failure reports for privacy reasons.

Source

RFC 7489 — DMARC

rua: Addresses to which aggregate feedback is to be sent (comma-separated plain-text list of DMARC URIs; OPTIONAL).

Checked 2026-08-29

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Definitions reviewed 2026-08-29. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

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