How to Change DNS Settings at Antagonist: Set Up DMARC, SPF & DKIM

March 1, 2025 · DMARC Analyzer Pro

Step-by-step guide to adding DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records at Antagonist, the award-winning Dutch hosting provider. Protect your .nl domain from email fraud.

Introduction

Antagonist is an award-winning Dutch web hosting provider consistently rated among the best in the Netherlands. Known for excellent customer support (multiple MSc. awards for best Dutch hosting), fast servers, and a user-friendly control panel, Antagonist is the choice of many Dutch professionals and businesses. If your domain is hosted with Antagonist, this guide shows you how to configure email authentication records for maximum email security.

Antagonist uses DirectAdmin as their control panel, which provides straightforward DNS management. Let us get your DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records set up.

Pre-Configuration: Assess Your Current Setup

Before adding new records, check what already exists. Go to https://dmarcanalyzer.pro/tools/dns-checker and enter your domain. This free tool scans for existing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. If you already have an SPF record (common with Antagonist hosting), you will need to modify it rather than create a new one.

Step 1: Log In to Antagonist's My Panel

Navigate to https://mijn.antagonist.nl and sign in with your Antagonist account credentials. After authentication, you will see your Antagonist dashboard showing your hosting packages, domains, email settings, and other services.

Step 2: Access the DNS Zone Editor

From your dashboard, click on the hosting package associated with your domain. This opens the DirectAdmin control panel. In DirectAdmin, navigate to "Account Manager" (or "Accountbeheer") and click on "DNS Management" (or "DNS Beheer"). Select your domain to view its DNS zone. You will see all existing DNS records listed.

Alternative path: Some Antagonist accounts have a simplified "DNS" button directly on the domain overview page. Look for it under your domain's settings.

Step 3: Add Your SPF Record

In the DNS zone editor, click "Add Record". Select "TXT" as the type. For the name, enter your domain name or @ for the root. For the value, enter: v=spf1 include:_spf.antagonist.nl ~all. Click "Add" or "Toevoegen".

Antagonist typically pre-configures an SPF record for their email hosting. If you see an existing SPF record, edit it to include your additional email providers instead of creating a second one. For example: v=spf1 include:_spf.antagonist.nl include:_spf.google.com ~all.

Always verify your SPF record at https://dmarcanalyzer.pro/tools/spf-checker to ensure it is valid and within the 10-lookup limit.

Step 4: Add Your DKIM Record

Click "Add Record". Select "TXT" as the type. For the name, enter your DKIM selector followed by ._domainkey. The selector depends on your email provider -- for Antagonist email, check their support documentation for the correct selector. For the value, paste the DKIM public key. Click Add.

Antagonist tip: If you are using Antagonist's built-in email hosting, DKIM may be configured automatically. Check the "Email" or "E-mail" section in your DirectAdmin panel. Some hosting plans include automatic DKIM signing that does not require manual DNS configuration.

Step 5: Add Your DMARC Record

Click "Add Record". Select "TXT" as the type. For the name, enter _dmarc. For the value, enter: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.nl; adkim=r; aspf=r. Click Add to save the record.

This monitoring-mode configuration lets you collect data before making enforcement decisions. Use the free DMARC Record Builder at https://dmarcanalyzer.pro/tools/dmarc-builder to create a record tailored to your exact needs.

Step 6: Verify Your Records

Antagonist DNS changes are typically fast, propagating within 15 to 60 minutes. After a brief wait, verify everything at https://dmarcanalyzer.pro/tools/dns-checker. The tool performs comprehensive checks on all three email authentication records and highlights any issues.

Why Antagonist Customers Trust DMARC Analyzer Pro

Antagonist customers value quality and reliability, which is exactly what DMARC Analyzer Pro (https://dmarcanalyzer.pro) delivers for email security monitoring. The platform automatically processes your DMARC reports and presents them in a clear dashboard. Features include automated DMARC report collection and parsing, visual charts showing authentication trends over time, identification of all sending sources (legitimate and unauthorized), AI-powered recommendations for improving your DMARC policy, guided enforcement progression from p=none to p=reject, SPF record optimization and flattening, and email alerts for new unauthorized senders.

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Troubleshooting

Cannot find DNS Management: In DirectAdmin, DNS Management may be under "Advanced Features" instead of "Account Manager" depending on your hosting plan level. If you cannot find it, contact Antagonist support -- they are known for quick and helpful responses.

Record value too long: If your DKIM key is very long, DirectAdmin may have issues with the input field. Try pasting the value without line breaks. If the record still does not save, contact Antagonist support to add it manually.

Multiple SPF records error: If you accidentally created two SPF records, delete the extra one and merge all includes into a single record. Two SPF records will cause a PermError and break email authentication entirely.

Conclusion

Antagonist's DirectAdmin-based control panel makes it easy to manage DNS records for your domain. By adding DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, you have built a solid foundation for email security. Continue your journey with DMARC Analyzer Pro (https://dmarcanalyzer.pro) to monitor, analyze, and strengthen your email authentication posture.