Real Time Blacklists RBL's are lists of IP addresses which are known to send SPAM.
Reference: http://www.spamhaus.org
How RBL's Work
RBL's work through DNS queries. Mail servers perform a dns lookup of the senders IP address through a RBL (such as zen.spamhaus.org). If the senders IP is listed in the RBL, then your mail server can perform an action (usually Bounce the Message)
Considerations
By implementing RBL's you are giving a 3rd party control over your mail server. If the RBL mistakenly lists the wrong IP then legitimate mail could get bounced/rejected. Before implementing RBL's make sure the RBL is trustworthy and builds its lists based upon your needs. There are many RBL's available, each doing different things. Some build their lists based upon Dynamic IP ranges, others based on viruses, and others based on "Spam Traps". The bottom line is be careful!
Postfix RBL Controls
To perform RBL checks in Postfix use reject_rbl_client rbl.provider under smtpd_recipient_restrictions'
smtpd_recipient_restrictions =
permit_mynetworks
...
...
reject_rbl_client sbl-xbl.spamhaus.org
...
...
Its a good idea to put reject_rbl_client higher up in the list because it can eliminate the need to perform other checks which use system resources.