[1]
- Black Hosts - Installer
This is a cross-platform hosts[2] file installer for hosts files found at the StevenBlack[3] repository and uses the JSDELIVR[4] system to retrieve the files.
I'm in no way related to this project other than being an avid and long time and grateful user of its resources. I wrote this for myself, but if anyone gets good use out of it, well then, all the better.
This is a command line utility written in the Rust programming language.
This should work in command lines in Linux, Windows, & MacOs.
[3] This repository is a consolidated list of ad, social, phishing, and porn and other types of hosts[2] files to help block these types of sites.
Visit https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts for more information.
This utility is for use with the main hosts file at the root of the repo and the alternates located in the "alternates" folder at the same repository.
If no alternates option is passed it defaults to the main root hosts file.
I have quite a few devices/machines that I administrate/maintain and I'm constantly changing the hosts files for various reasons and this just makes it to where I can do it on-the-fly without having to open a browser or editor or anything. This also makes it to where I can automate this in a root cronjob or administrative task/service.
This is a cross-platform command line tool in binary executable format that can be used in command lines/consoles/terminals/ttys/shells in Linux, Windows, and MacOs.
This program's name has various versions, but they should all be renamed to: blackhosts.
This was written in Linux, but tested in Linux and Windows. Sorry MacOs users; I do not have a Mac, but I do know the operating system well and it has been written properly for the system had compiled successfully as can be seen in this repositories build history and should run fine. Please let me know if it doesn't.
This is currently provided as a compiled binary that is either portable or can be installed in Linux with the Debian - .deb[5] package installer, but if there's enough interest I can also provide an AppImage[6] at some point.
The hosts file is always governed and in a place owned by the "Administrator" or "root" account and therefore this program must be ran as Administrator or root ("sudo").
In Linux you can run this as the root account with root, su, or much more preferably sudo:
sudo blackhosts
# Or
su -c 'blackhosts'It should be the exact same methods as the Linux methods.
Windows is a bit different as there are three things you have to worry about:
- It has to be executed from a console, script, or program that has been "Run As Administrator".
- The hosts file attributes can not be set to "read only" in the file's properties.
- Any Anti-Virus or Malware software that protects the hosts file must temporarily be disabled.
The main program file is meant to be executable and in Windows that's not usually an issue, but in Linux and MacOs you may need to set the permissions.
In a Linux or MacOs command line run:
# executable for all users
chmod +x /path/to/blackhosts
# or
chmod 755 /path/to/blackhosts
# executable for current user only
chmod u+x /path/to/blackhosts This program is portable, but there is a Debian (.deb file) package installer for the Linux binary version.
The file: blackhosts.deb is a Linux Debian package installer for use on most Linux Debian based operating systems.
Like many other executable files this should be able to be clicked or double clicked to execute and it should open in the systems software manager gui.
Install from command line with:
sudo dpkg -i /path/to/blackhosts.debI imagine this can be installed with gdebi, but I'm not familiar with it.
Uninstall with:
sudo apt remove blackhosts
# -y to skip prompt approvalPortable applications do not need to be installed, but they are easier to use if they are in one of a systems PATH directories.
If the program file is not in PATH (or in the current directory) then you must run it with the complete path url:
/path/to/blackhosts --helpor
& '\Path\To\blackhosts.exe' --helpIf the file is place in PATH then you can run it with:
blackhosts --helpPATH directories are stored and can listed in the various operating systems PATH variable.
E.g.
echo "$PATH"| Operating System | Variable Name |
|---|---|
| Linux | $PATH |
| MacOs | $PATH |
| Windows | %PATH% |
Used in many command lines across 3 main operating systems (and more).
3 main operating systems:
- Linux
- Windows
- MacOs
Used in any command line environment from Linux Shell to Windows PowerShell.
- Windows
- CMD
- PowerShell
- Linux
- Shell
- Bash
- Zsh
- many more...
- MacOs
- Same as Linux I imagine.
Install or update to the "normal" hosts file:
$ sudo blackhosts
Your hosts file does not match the new file:
/etc/hosts:
MD5: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e
https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/StevenBlack/hosts@master/hosts:
MD5: 4a20dc26d106bba609308a4a91be1eea
Would you like to update your /etc/hosts file:
([y]es,[n]o)?
yes
/etc/hosts successfully updated.
Install or update to the "social" hosts file:
$ sudo blackhosts social
[sudo] password for flux:
Your hosts file does not match the new file:
/etc/hosts:
MD5: 4a20dc26d106bba609308a4a91be1eea
https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/StevenBlack/hosts@master/alternates/social/hosts:
MD5: c0bec182ab2903a37c4a92115e1dd550
Would you like to update your /etc/hosts file:
([y]es,[n]o)?
yes
/etc/hosts successfully updated.
Install while skipping affirmation prompt:
$ sudo blackhosts --yes
/etc/hosts successfully updated.
Help:
$ blackhosts --help
blackhosts - 'hosts' installer
Install custom 'hosts' files from the
'StevenBlack' GitHub repository.
@USAGE:
blackhosts
blackhosts [OPTIONS...]
blackhosts ALTERNATE...
blackhosts [OPTIONS...] ALTERNATE...
@OPTIONS:
-h,--help This help screen.
-q,--quiet Don't print output -
non-verbose. Assumes '-y'
to skip affirmation.
-y,--yes Skip affirmation -
auto-yes.
@ALTERNATE:
Alternate hosts file from list in
'alternates' directory at the repository.
@ERRORS: Exit Codes
0 No errors.
1 Remote 'hosts' is not properly
UTF encoded.
2 Remote 'hosts' file not found.
3 Could not read local 'hosts'
file.
4 Error while reading user
input.
5 Could not open local 'hosts'
file.
6 Could not write local 'hosts'
file.
All links pertinent to this project.
All of the most current, up-to-date files are located on the 'Stable Release' page.
Current project links.
| Description | Link |
|---|---|
| Main repository. | https://github.com/Lateralus138/blackhosts |
| Main repository - themed version. | https://lateralus138.github.io/blackhosts |
| Current Releases | https://github.com/Lateralus138/blackhosts/releases |
| Stable Release | https://github.com/Lateralus138/blackhosts/releases/tag/1.0.109134 |
| Description | Status |
|---|---|
| Project Release Date |  |
| Total downloads for this project |  |
| Complete repository size |  |
| Commits in last month |  |
| Commits in last year |  |
| Description | Status | Number of Downloads |
|---|---|---|
| Latest Release version |  |
 |
| Latest Tag version, possible Pre-Release's |  |
|
| Name | Status | MD5 |
|---|---|---|
| Code Quality |  |
NA |
Linux: Build/Publish |
 |
 |
Debian: Build/Publish |
 |
 |
Windows: Build/Publish |
 |
 |
MacOS: Build/Publish |
 |
 |
If you like this project and care to donate to my PayPal:
Or Buy Me A Coffee if your prefer:
| # | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | This image is part of the logo found at the Steven Black repository; it is not my stock, but I did render and edit this cut. | Stock Logo Home |
| 2 | The hosts file is found on any device that connects to the internet and needs to resolve website host names to IP's. | DuckDuckGo Search |
| 3 | This is the repository that hosts all the "hosts" files that can be installed with this installer. The default file is at the root of the repository and any alternates are in the "alternates" folder. The name of the alternative is the name of the corresponding internal folders within the "alternates" folder. See the repository for a better understanding and more information. | Steven Black - hosts - Repository |
| 4 | JSDELIVR is a common file delivery system for files hosted at GitHub. | JSDELIVR WebSite |
| 5 | The Debian .deb file is a Linux application package installer/delivery system. |
DuckDuckGo Search |
| 6 | AppImage is a portable executable system with sand-boxing capabilities and no need to worry about dependencies. There isn't much need to have an AppImage with this seeing that it has no dependencies, but if anyone wants it I will considering creating one. | DuckDuckGo Search |
DISCLAIMER: Not my stock work as stated before.
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.