Home Articles Web security & compliance Exploring the Versatility of Your Hosts File
In the vast expanse of digital tools at our disposal, there exists a humble yet mighty file that often goes unnoticed: the hosts file.
While the hosts file has a variety of uses, including blocking malicious websites, ad blocking, and even performance optimization, we will be focusing on one of its most commonly utilized functions – website redirection.
Through modifications to their hosts file, users can redirect specific domain names to alternate websites or local resources, enabling the customization of web browsing experiences.
Using Your Hosts File for Website Redirection
Developers often use the hosts file to redirect domain names to local servers for testing and development purposes, allowing them to work on websites or web applications without making them accessible to the public.
Below, we have listed the steps required to implement this process:
Step 1: To make changes to your hosts file, open it with Notepad with administrator access. Press the Windows button on your keyboard, then search for “Notepad.” Right-click on the icon and select “Run as Administrator.”
Step 2: Once Notepad is open, locate your hosts file. In Notepad, click “File” then “Open” to bring up File Explorer. The default path for the hosts file is C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. When you reach the “etc” folder, there may not be any files displaying. Click the drop-down menu to the far right of “File Name” and select “All Files (*.*).” With all files visible, click on the “hosts” file to open it.
Step 3: The final step is simple. Navigate to the bottom of the file and paste the IP Address that you would like the domain name to point to, followed by the domain name itself, both on the same line with a space in between. For example:
123.123.123.12 www.yourwebsite.com. Once you’ve made these changes, save the file.
A Couple of Extra Tips
If you would like to simply block a website then you can use the IP of 127.0.0.1 so:
127.0.0.1 www.yourwebsite.com
If you would like to create any notes such as stating what the redirect is for then begin a line with “#” for example:
# Redirect for Testing New Site
123.123.123.12 www.yourwebsite.com
