Guide · Setting up
Catch-all email address: when it helps and when it floods you
A catch-all receives mail sent to any address at the domain that does not exist. It can save an enquiry sent to a misspelt address, and it can bury a mailbox in unwanted messages. This guide helps decide.
What a catch-all does
Without a catch-all, a message to an address that does not exist is refused. With one, the message goes to a place the owner chose instead. A customer who writes to sales@ when the business only made info@ is answered rather than bounced.
When it helps
- A new domain whose addresses are not settled yet, so no enquiry is lost while they are.
- A business that gives a different address to every supplier or sign-up form, and wants to see all of them in one place.
- A site whose contact form or printed material may carry a mistyped address.
When it hurts
A catch-all accepts mail for addresses that never existed, and that includes guessed addresses sent by bulk senders. Over time the mailbox fills with unwanted messages, and the real ones are harder to find. If the catch-all is the only place anyone reads mail for a domain, an important message to an unlisted address can sit unseen among them.
The options at Alcitron Mail
- Off. Mail to an address that does not exist is refused. This is the cleanest setting.
- A mailbox or an alias of the same domain. Mail to any unknown address is delivered there.
- An outside address. Because forwarding to someone else’s address is a risk, the service mails that address a confirmation link, valid for 48 hours and usable once. Forwarding starts only after its holder presses the button.
A safe way to use one
Start with the catch-all off and the addresses that matter created. If enquiries are being missed, turn it on to a single mailbox, read what arrives for a fortnight, and create an address for whatever proves useful. Alias or mailbox helps decide the form. Forwarded mail is also subject to the sender’s own SPF checks, which RFC 7208 describes, so a forward to an outside address can fail where a direct delivery would not.
Questions
Does a catch-all receive spam?
It can. It accepts mail for addresses that never existed, including addresses guessed by bulk senders, so a busy catch-all collects unwanted messages.
Can a catch-all forward to an outside address?
Yes, once the holder of that address confirms by pressing the button in a link mailed to it. The link lasts 48 hours and works once.
Is a catch-all needed?
No. It is a choice for domains whose addresses are not settled or whose enquiries may be mistyped.
Sources
The documents this guide’s statements rest on. Each link opens in a new page.