How do you analyze DMARC reports using report-uri.com?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 27 May 2025
Updated 16 Aug 2025
9 min read
DMARC reports are essential for understanding how your email is being treated across the internet. They provide critical insights into legitimate email streams, identify unauthorized sending sources, and help you ensure your emails reach the inbox. Without these reports, it is difficult to effectively manage your domain's email reputation or protect against spoofing.
Many domain owners set up their DMARC records to send these aggregate reports (RUA) to a service that can help parse the often-complex XML data. Report-uri.com is one such platform that collects DMARC aggregate reports.
However, simply collecting the reports is only the first step. The real value comes from effectively analyzing the data to troubleshoot issues and improve your email program. The challenge with some tools, including report-uri.com, often lies in accessing and interpreting the granular details needed for deep analysis.
DMARC reports are delivered in an XML format, which contains a wealth of information about email flows for your domain. There are two main types: aggregate reports (RUA) and forensic reports (RUF). Aggregate reports provide a high-level overview of all emails purportedly sent from your domain, showing how many passed or failed SPF and DKIM authentication, and what policy was applied. Forensic reports, while less commonly implemented due to privacy concerns, offer detailed insights into individual email failures.
Understanding what is contained in these reports is the foundation for any meaningful analysis. Aggregate reports, for instance, typically include the reporting organization's name, the date range of the report, the policy applied, and a record of email volume by sending IP address, along with their SPF and DKIM authentication results. This information helps identify legitimate sources, detect unauthorized sending, and monitor DMARC policy enforcement.
Parsing raw XML reports manually is time-consuming and prone to errors, especially for high-volume senders. This is why tools that can analyze DMARC RUA and RUF reports into an easy-to-read format are so valuable. They allow you to quickly visualize trends, pinpoint authentication failures, and identify unusual sending patterns that might indicate spoofing or misconfigurations.
Key data points in aggregate reports
Source IP addresses: The IP addresses of the servers sending email on behalf of your domain.
Volume: The number of emails sent from each source.
Authentication results: Whether SPF and DKIM passed or failed for each source.
Alignment status: Whether the 'From' domain aligned with the SPF or DKIM signing domain.
Policy application: How the receiving server treated the email (none, quarantine, or reject).
Getting started with report-uri.com
To start receiving DMARC reports via report-uri.com, you need to add a DMARC record to your domain's DNS. This record includes a tag specifying where aggregate reports (RUA) should be sent. Report-uri.com provides a specific URI for this purpose. Once configured, email receivers will begin sending XML reports to that address, and report-uri.com will collect them.
For example, your DMARC record might look something like this. The rua tag specifies the email address for aggregate reports, which would be your report-uri.com mailbox.
After setting up the DNS record, reports will start flowing into your account on report-uri.com. The platform's primary function is to collect, parse, and present this data in a more digestible format than raw XML. You typically find dashboards with graphs showing email volume, authentication results, and policy application over time. This overview can provide a quick glance at your DMARC compliance status.
While useful for high-level monitoring, it's important to understand what depth of analysis is truly available. For initial setup and basic trend identification, such services can be a good starting point.
Limitations of report-uri.com for DMARC analysis
While report-uri.com is a capable platform for various web security reports (like CSP and HPKP), its DMARC reporting functionality might not meet the needs of all users, especially those requiring deep-dive analysis for complex email environments. A common point of feedback from users is that the user interface can be cumbersome when trying to extract specific details, sometimes making it feel as difficult as interpreting the raw XML itself.
A significant limitation noted by users is the difficulty, or sometimes impossibility, of exporting raw XML reports or granular data. This can be a major hurdle if you need to perform custom analysis, integrate with other reporting engines, or simply examine the underlying data for forensic purposes. Without the ability to export, you're restricted to the visualizations and filtering options provided by the platform, which may not offer the necessary depth for troubleshooting complex DMARC failures.
For instance, identifying exactly which IP addresses are sending mail and their authentication results often requires drilling down into specific reports. If the platform only offers high-level graphs without easy access to the underlying data, it becomes challenging to pinpoint the source of a DMARC failure or verify new sending infrastructure. This can lead to a situation where the tool provides a graph, but not the actionable data you truly need to resolve deliverability issues or manage your email ecosystem effectively.
Report-uri.com's approach
Visual summaries: Focuses on displaying trends and compliance data through graphs.
Aggregated view: Consolidates data but may obscure granular details for each mail stream.
Limited export: Difficulty in exporting raw XML or detailed reports for external processing.
Primary focus: Designed for a broader scope of web security reporting, not solely DMARC.
Deep DMARC analysis needs
Granular data access: Ability to inspect individual report entries, including source IPs.
Flexible filtering: Advanced options to filter by specific mail streams, authentication results, etc.
Exportability: Option to download reports in various formats for offline or custom analysis.
Actionable insights: Clear indications of issues requiring immediate attention or configuration changes.
Deeper DMARC report analysis
Effective DMARC analysis goes beyond simple graphs, requiring the ability to dive into the specifics of each email stream. You need to identify which IP addresses are sending email on your behalf, whether they are correctly configured with SPF and DKIM, and if they are achieving DMARC alignment. This is crucial for distinguishing between legitimate email and potential spoofing attempts.
When analyzing reports, you should look for several key indicators. High volumes of DMARC failures from unexpected IP addresses could indicate spoofing. Consistent authentication failures from known legitimate senders (like your marketing platform or transactional email service) point to misconfigurations that need to be addressed. Reviewing DMARC reports, including sender identification and failure types, is vital for this process.
The goal is to move your DMARC policy from 'none' to 'quarantine' or 'reject' to fully protect your domain. This transition requires confidence that all legitimate email sources are correctly authenticated and aligned, ensuring that only authorized emails are delivered to recipients' inboxes. Continuous monitoring and granular analysis of reports are essential steps in achieving this level of email security.
Data Point
Why it matters
Actionable insight
Source IP address
Identifies where email purporting to be from your domain originated. This is key to finding unauthorized senders or misconfigurations.
Verify if the IP is a known, authorized sender. If not, investigate potential spoofing.
SPF authentication result
Indicates whether the sending IP is authorized by your domain's SPF record. Failure can be due to missing IPs in your record.
Check your SPF record and add any missing legitimate IPs.
DKIM authentication result
Shows if emails are digitally signed and verified by your DKIM record. Failures may indicate improper setup or tampering.
Ensure your DKIM keys are correctly published and emails are signed.
DMARC alignment
Crucial for DMARC pass, it verifies that the 'From' domain aligns with the SPF or DKIM domains. Misalignment causes DMARC failures.
Adjust your sending practices or DMARC record to ensure alignment.
Beyond report-uri.com
Given the potential limitations of some DMARC reporting platforms, many organizations look for solutions that offer more robust analysis capabilities. This often means seeking tools that provide easy access to raw data, advanced filtering options, and the ability to export reports for custom processing. The market offers a variety of DMARC report analysis services that cater to different needs.
Some users even opt for self-hosted or open-source solutions to gain complete control over their DMARC data. These approaches typically involve setting up your own infrastructure to receive the XML reports and then using scripts or specialized software to parse and visualize the data. This route, while requiring more technical expertise, offers unparalleled flexibility in how you analyze and use your DMARC information. If you're considering this, explore self-hosted and free DMARC analyzing platforms.
The key is to select a solution that truly empowers you to analyze DMARC reports into an easy-to-read format and act on the insights. Whether it's a paid service, a self-hosted solution, or a hybrid approach, the goal remains the same: to gain comprehensive visibility into your email ecosystem and ensure optimal email deliverability and security.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Use a DMARC monitoring solution that provides actionable insights, not just raw data graphs.
Ensure your DMARC reports can be easily exported for deeper analysis or integration with other tools.
Regularly review your DMARC aggregate reports to identify new sending sources or authentication failures.
Common pitfalls
Relying solely on visual dashboards without the ability to drill down into the underlying XML data.
Not having a clear way to see the specific IP addresses sending mail for your domain within the reporting tool.
Choosing a DMARC analysis tool primarily designed for other web security reports, as DMARC may be an afterthought.
Expert tips
Set up alerts for significant changes in DMARC compliance or new unauthorized senders.
Consider a phased approach when moving DMARC policies, starting with 'p=none' to gather data.
Automate the parsing of DMARC XML reports if you decide to self-host your analysis.
Marketer view
A marketer from Email Geeks says they tried report-uri.com, but found the user interface cumbersome and noted it made interpreting reports as difficult as reading the raw XML.
2022-08-16 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
A marketer from Email Geeks says their impression was that report-uri.com only shows raw XML and lacks a way to export reports into a real reporting engine.
2022-08-16 - Email Geeks
Practical takeaways
While report-uri.com offers a way to collect and visualize DMARC reports, particularly for those already using it for broader web security monitoring, it may not provide the granular detail or export capabilities needed for in-depth DMARC analysis. Many users find themselves needing more direct access to the underlying XML data to effectively troubleshoot issues and ensure full DMARC compliance.
The true power of DMARC reports lies in their ability to reveal unauthorized sending sources, misconfigurations, and other factors impacting your email deliverability and security. To fully leverage this, you need a tool that allows you to easily identify sending IP addresses, understand authentication results, and track DMARC alignment status across all your email streams.
Ultimately, the choice of a DMARC analysis platform should align with your specific needs for email security and deliverability. Whether you opt for a comprehensive third-party service, a self-hosted solution, or a combination, prioritizing tools that offer actionable insights and detailed data access will be key to mastering your email ecosystem.
Source IP address
DMARC alignment
