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#Unified hosts file with base extensions

This repository consolidates several reputable hosts files, and merges them into a unified hosts file with duplicates removed. This repo provides several hosts files tailored to you need to block.

List of all hosts file variants

Host file recipe Readme Raw hosts hosts (.zip) Unique domains
Unified hosts = (adware + malware) Readme link link 31,623
Unified hosts + gambling Readme link link 32,337
Unified hosts + porn Readme link link 36,922
Unified hosts + social Readme link link 31,853
Unified hosts + gambling + porn Readme link link 37,636
Unified hosts + gambling + social Readme link link 32,567
Unified hosts + porn + social Readme link link 37,152
Unified hosts + gambling + porn + social Readme link link 37,866

Expectation: These unified hosts files should serve all devices, regardless of OS.

Sources of hosts data unified here

Updated hosts files from the following locations are always unified and included:

Extensions

The unified hosts file is extensible. You manage extensions by curating the extensions/ folder tree. See the social, gambling, and porn extension which are included in this repo, for example.

Generate your own unified hosts file

The updateHostsFile.py script, which is python 2.7 and Python 3-compatible, will generate a unified hosts file based on the sources in the local data/ subfolder. The script will prompt you Whether it should fetch updated versions (from locations defined by the update.info text file in each source's folder), otherwise it will use the hosts file that's already there.

Usage

Using Python 3:

python3 updateHostsFile.py [--auto] [--replace] [--ip nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn] [--extensions ext1 ext2 ext3]

Using Python 2.7:

python updateHostsFile.py [--auto] [--replace] [--ip nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn] [--extensions ext1 ext2 ext3]

Command line options:

--help, or -h: display help.

--auto, or -a: run the script without prompting. When --auto is invoked,

  • Hosts data sources, including extensions, are updated.
  • No extensions are included by default. Use the --extensions or -e flag to include any you want.
  • Your active hosts file is not replaced unless you include the --replace flag.

--backup, or -b: Make a backup of existing hosts file(s) as you generate over them.

--extensions <ext1> <ext2> <ext3>, or -e <ext1> <ext2> <ext3>: the names of subfolders below the extensions folder containing additional category-specific hosts files to include in the amalgamation. Example: --extensions porn or -e social porn.

--flush-dns-cache, or -f: skip the prompt for flushing the DNS cache. Only active when --replace is also active.

--ip nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn, or -i nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn: the IP address to use as the target. Default is 0.0.0.0.

--noupdate, or -n: skip fetching updates from hosts data sources.

--output <subfolder>, or -o <subfolder>: place the generated source file in a subfolder. If the subfolder does not exist, it will be created.

--replace, or -r: trigger replacing your active hosts

--skipstatichosts, or -s: false (default) or true, omit the standard section, at the top containing lines like 127.0.0.1 localhost. This is useful for configuring proximate DNS services on the local network.

--zip, or -z: false (default) or true, additionally create a zip archive of the hosts file named hosts.zip.

How do I control which sources are unified?

Add one or more additional sources, each in a subfolder of the data/ folder, and specify its update url in update.info file.

Add one or more optional extensions, which originate from subfolders of the extensions/ folder. Again the url in update.info controls where this extension finds its updates.

How do I include my own custom domain mappings?

If you have custom hosts records, place them in file myhosts. The contents of this file are prepended to the unified hosts file during the update process.

The myhosts file is not tracked by git, so any changes you make won't be overridden when you git pull this repo from origin in the future.

How do I prevent domains from being included?

The domains you list in the whitelist file are excluded from the final hosts file.

The whitelist uses partial matching. Therefore if you whitelist google-analytics.com, that domain and all its subdomains won't be merged into the final hosts file.

The whitelist is not tracked by git, so any changes you make won't be overridden when you git pull this repo from origin in the future.

What is a hosts file?

A hosts file, named hosts (with no file extension), is a plain-text file used by all operating systems to map hostnames to IP addresses.

In most operating systems, the hosts file is preferential to DNS. Therefore if a domain name is resolved by the hosts file, the request never leaves your computer.

Having a smart hosts file goes a long way towards blocking malware, adware, and other irritants.

For example, to nullify requests to some doubleclick.net servers, adding these lines to your hosts file will do it:

# block doubleClick's servers
0.0.0.0 ad.ae.doubleclick.net
0.0.0.0 ad.ar.doubleclick.net
0.0.0.0 ad.at.doubleclick.net
0.0.0.0 ad.au.doubleclick.net
0.0.0.0 ad.be.doubleclick.net
# etc...

We recommend using 0.0.0.0 instead of 127.0.0.1

Traditionally most host files use 127.0.0.1, the loopback address, to establish an IP connection to the local machine.

We prefer to use ``0.0.0.0`, which is defined as a non-routable meta-address used to designate an invalid, unknown, or non applicable target.

Using 0.0.0.0 is empirically faster, possibly because there's no wait for a timeout resolution. It also does not interfere with a web server that may be running on the local PC.

Why not use just 0 instead of 0.0.0.0?

We tried that. Using 0 doesn't work universally.

Location of your hosts file

To modify your current hosts file, look for it in the following places and modify it with a text editor.

Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Linux: /etc/hosts folder.

Windows: %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts folder.

Reloading hosts file

Your operating system will cache DNS lookups. You can either reboot or run the following commands to manually flush your DNS cache once the new hosts file is in place.

Mac OS X

Open a Terminal and run:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache;sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Windows

makeHostsWindows.bat BATCH file will create various alternate hosts files by combining and adding the gambling, porn, and social media extensions. You need to be connected to the Internet. This file REQUIRED installed Python 3.5.x runtime environment in Windows System. Launch this file as normal user.
Run updateHostsWindows.bat BATCH file in Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in repository directory for easy update, replace hosts file and reload DNS cache in Windows System. You need to be connected to the Internet. This file REQUIRED installed Python 3.5.x runtime environment in Windows System.
WARNING: Don't run these BAT files directly or from popup menu. You have been warned.

Open a Command Prompt in directory where are files from this repository:

Windows XP: Start -> Run -> cmd

Windows Vista, 7: Start Button -> type cmd -> right-click Command Prompt -> "Run as Administrator"

Windows 8: Start -> Swipe Up -> All Apps -> Windows System -> right-click Command Prompt -> "Run as Administrator"

Windows 10: Start Button -> type cmd -> right-click Command Prompt -> "Run as Administrator"

and run command:

updateHostsWindows.bat
If you want using huge hosts file with merged hphosts (NOT INCLUDED HERE) you need to DISABLE and STOP Dnscache service before you replace hosts file in Windows Systems. You have been warned.

Open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges and run once commands:

sc config "Dnscache" start= disabled
sc stop "Dnscache"

Linux

Open a Terminal and run with root privileges:

Debian/Ubuntu sudo /etc/rc.d/init.d/nscd restart

Linux with systemd: sudo systemctl restart network.service

Fedora Linux: sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager.service

Arch Linux/Manjaro with Network Manager: sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager.service

Arch Linux/Manjaro with Wicd: sudo systemctl restart wicd.service

Others: Consult this wikipedia article.

Goals of this unified hosts file

The goals of this repo are to:

  1. automatically combine high-quality lists of hosts,

  2. provide easy extensions,

  3. de-dupe the resultant combined list,

  4. and keep the resultant file reasonably sized.

A high-quality source is defined here as one that is actively curated. A hosts source should be frequently updated by its maintainers with both additions and removals. The larger the hosts file, the higher the level of curation is expected.

For example, the (huge) hosts file from hosts-file.net is not included here because it is very large (300,000+ entries) and doesn't currently display a corresponding high level of curation activity.

It is expected that this unified hosts file will serve both desktop and mobile devices under a variety of operating systems.