Hosts File Manager

Cross-platform ad/malware blocking via the system hosts file.

Part of the myTech.Today PowerShell toolkit.

Features

• Cross-Platform — Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Ad & Malware Blocking — Downloads rules from someonewhocares.org
• Smart Merging — Preserves your custom host entries
• Automatic Backups — Timestamped backups before every change (max 10 retained)
• DNS Cache Flush — Platform-specific flush after update
• Restore — Roll back to any previous backup

Quick Start

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted

# Windows: Run as Administrator | macOS/Linux: sudo pwsh
.\hosts.ps1

Usage

.\hosts.ps1                     # Update hosts file
.\hosts.ps1 -WhatIf             # Preview changes
.\hosts.ps1 -Force              # Skip prompts
.\hosts.ps1 -BackupOnly         # Backup only
.\hosts.ps1 -RestoreBackup      # Restore latest backup
.\hosts.ps1 -SkipDNSFlush       # Update without DNS flush

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
-BackupOnly	Switch	Backup current hosts file without updating
-RestoreBackup	Switch	Restore from most recent backup
-BackupPath	String	Specific backup file to restore
-SkipDNSFlush	Switch	Skip DNS cache flush
-Force	Switch	Skip confirmation prompts
-WhatIf	Switch	Preview without applying

Requirements

• PowerShell 7.0+ (Core), elevated privileges, internet connection

File Locations

Platform	Hosts File	Backups	Logs
Windows	C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts	%USERPROFILE%\myTech.Today\hosts\backups\	%USERPROFILE%\myTech.Today\logs\hosts.YYYY-MM.md
macOS/Linux	/etc/hosts	~/myTech.Today/hosts/backups/	~/myTech.Today/logs/hosts.YYYY-MM.md

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