Introduction
Message Header Analyzer parses raw email headers to trace email routing hops, compute delays, and display auth results.
It parses the sequence of 'Received' headers to trace the path a message took from sender to receiver.
Highlights delays at specific routing servers to help troubleshoot delivery lags.
What Is Message Header Analyzer?
Message Header Analyzer is an operations checker designed to compute routing latencies and check SPF/DKIM/DMARC alignment.
It parses standard SMTP header fields and calculates time intervals between relay servers.
Designed for postmasters, support agents, and security researchers.
Key Features
- Traces email routing hops in chronological order.
- Calculates delivery delays at each hop in seconds.
- Displays SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results from the Authentication-Results header.
- Helps detect routing loops or delayed mail server relays.
How to Use Message Header Analyzer
- Open Message Header Analyzer and provide the source input.
- Choose the options that match the job you are doing.
- Run the action and review the output once before relying on it.
- Copy, export, or reuse the result in your workflow.
Example (Input → Output)
Paste raw email headers from your email client (e.g. Gmail 'Show original') to analyze hops and security tags.
Calculated hops showing transit time, delivery route, and delays at each hop.
Start with a small known-good sample if you are using the tool for the first time. It makes the output much easier to judge.
Before You Start
- Copy all text from your email's 'Show original' or 'View headers' option and paste here.
- Pay attention to hops showing delays of more than a few seconds.
Use Cases
- Message Header Analyzer is also a good fit for one-off tasks that are important enough to verify, but not complex enough to justify a longer setup.
Benefits of Using This Tool
- Message Header Analyzer reduces repetitive manual work and gives you a more predictable path from input to output.
- Readable results make reviews faster and cut down on the small mistakes that often come from hurried copy-paste edits.
- A focused workflow means less context switching, which is usually the difference between a two-minute task and a twenty-minute distraction.
- You end up with output that is easier to check, easier to share, and easier to reuse in the next step.
Limits and Checks
- Relies on correctly formatted Received headers; malformed or missing headers can affect delay logic.
How We Review This Tool
- Sorts Received timestamps to identify hop-by-hop latency and parses validation keys.
Common Mistakes
- Copying only partial email content instead of full headers.
- Expecting the tool to fix delay issues rather than pinpointing them.
What To Check Next
- Verify DKIM signatures if authentication indicators show failures.
FAQs
- How are delays computed? Delays are calculated as the difference between the timestamps of consecutive hop Received headers.
SEO Meta Description
Message Header Analyzer by UtilVault. Analyze email message headers for delays and auth hop hops. Built for fast checks, clear output, and everyday browser-based work.