• hostsman
  • INSTALLATION
  • USAGE
    • Help
    • List mappings in hosts file
    • Check HOSTNAME
      • Check if a hostname is configured in hosts file.
      • Check multiple hostnames
    • Insert mappings
      • Add single mapping
      • Add multiple mappings.
    • Remove mapping

hostsman

hostsman is a cross-platform command line tool for adding, removing or listing mappings in hosts file. It's written in python.

INSTALLATION

You can use pip to install this tool. Run pip install hostsman.

You can also find the packages by this link: hostsman

It works on python 2.6, python 2.7, and python 3.x.

USAGE

Help

Run hostsman or hostsman -h to check the help doc:

(pypi) ➜  hosts git:(master) ✗ hostsman
usage: hostsman [-h] [-l | -c HOSTNAME [HOSTNAME ...] | -i HOSTNAME[:IP]
             [HOSTNAME[:IP] ...] | -r HOSTNAME [HOSTNAME ...]]

Add, remove or list mappings in hosts file

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -l, --list            Show the content of hosts file
  -c HOSTNAME [HOSTNAME ...], --check HOSTNAME [HOSTNAME ...]
                        Check if the host name existed in the host file
  -i HOSTNAME[:IP] [HOSTNAME[:IP] ...], --insert HOSTNAME[:IP] [HOSTNAME[:IP] ...]
                        Insert HOSTNAME[:IP] mappings
  -r HOSTNAME [HOSTNAME ...], --remove HOSTNAME [HOSTNAME ...]
                        Remove mapping for HOSTNAME from hosts file.

hosts file location: /etc/hosts

The last line of help gives the hosts file location on your pc.

List mappings in hosts file

Run hostsman -l to list out the content of hosts file.

127.0.0.1      	localhost
255.255.255.255	broadcasthost
::1             localhost
fe80::1%lo0    	localhost
127.0.0.1      	my.local

Check HOSTNAME

Check if a hostname is configured in hosts file.

Run hostsman -c localhost,

It will return the result if localhost is in hosts file:

# Search result:
127.0.0.1      	localhost
::1             localhost
fe80::1%lo0    	localhost

Check multiple hostnames

Run hostsman -c my.local my.local2,

It will print out the mappings for given hostnames

# Search result:
127.0.0.1      	my.local
127.0.0.1      	my.local2

Insert mappings

Add single mapping

Run hostsman -i my.local3:192.1.1.3, it will insert new mapping:

192.1.1.3 my.local3

If ip is not given, the default value 127.0.0.1 will be used:

Run hostsman -i my.local4, it will insert mapping:

127.0.0.1 my.local4

If the ip is already existed in hosts file, the insert operation will add the hostname on the same line of the ip, for example:

Run hostsman -i my.local5, the hosts file will be:

127.0.0.1 my.local4 my.local5

Add multiple mappings.

Run hostsman -i my.local my.local2:192.1.1.3, it will insert:

127.0.0.1 		my.local
192.1.1.3     my.local2

Remove mapping

Run hostsman -r my.local to remove my.local;

If the ip is only mapping to one host name, remove the host name will also remove the whole line.

For example, this the hosts file:

127.0.0.1 		my.local
192.1.1.3     my.local2 my.local3

After run hostsman -r my.local, the file will be:

192.1.1.3     my.local2 my.local3

After run hostsman -r my.local2, the file will be:

192.1.1.3     my.local3

A backup file will be created for every add/remove operation(when the hostname is existed)