SPF pass
The SPF result stating that the sending IP address is authorized to send mail for the domain in the checked identity.
What it means
pass means a mechanism with a + qualifier (the default) matched the connecting IP address. The domain in the MAIL FROM (or HELO) identity has vouched for the server, and RFC 7208 notes the domain can now be held responsible for the message in reputation terms.
A pass proves less than it seems. Anyone can register a domain, publish a record and pass SPF for it, and the passing domain need not be the one in the visible From address. That is why DMARC counts an SPF pass only when the SPF domain aligns with the From domain.
Authentication-Results headers record it as spf=pass, with the domain that was checked.
Example
Authentication-Results: mx.example.net; spf=pass smtp.mailfrom=bounce.example.comRelated terms
On this site
Sources
What this definition rests on. The wording is ours; the facts are theirs.
All 432 terms in the glossaryThe wiki: blocklists and bounce codes