lolcathost
Dynamic hosts file manager with interactive terminal UI
lolcathost manages your `/etc/hosts` file with an interactive terminal interface. It provides real-time management, automatic backups, group organization, presets, and a secure daemon-based architecture.
## Features
- **Interactive TUI** - Terminal interface with keyboard navigation
- **Live management** - Add, edit, and delete host entries without restarting
- **Groups** - Organize hosts into logical groups
- **Presets** - Save and apply preset configurations with a single command
- **Auto-backup** - Automatic backups before every change with rollback support
- **Secure daemon** - Privileged daemon handles file access via Unix socket IPC
- **Domain blocking** - Configurable blocklist to prevent dangerous entries
- **Cross-platform** - Works on macOS (LaunchDaemon) and Linux (systemd)
- **CLI & TUI** - Both command-line and interactive modes for flexibility
- **Auto-update check** - Notifies you when a new version is available
## Comparison with Other Tools
| Feature | lolcathost | [HostsMan](https://hostsfileman.github.io/) | [Gas Mask](https://github.com/2ndalpha/gasmask) | Manual editing |
|---------|------------|---------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|----------------|
| **Platform** | macOS/Linux | Windows | macOS only | All |
| **Interface** | Terminal TUI | Desktop GUI | Desktop GUI | Text editor |
| **Daemon architecture** | Yes (secure) | No | No | N/A |
| **Real-time sync** | Yes | No | Manual | Manual |
| **Groups** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Manual |
| **Presets** | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| **Auto-backup** | 10 rolling | Manual | Manual | No |
| **Rollback** | Yes | No | No | No |
| **CLI automation** | Yes | Limited | No | Yes |
| **Rate limiting** | Yes | No | No | N/A |
| **Domain blocking** | Yes | No | No | No |
| **Auto-update check** | Yes | No | No | N/A |
## Installation
### Homebrew (macOS)
```bash
brew install --cask lukaszraczylo/taps/lolcathost
```
> **Note**: If you previously installed via `brew install lukaszraczylo/taps/lolcathost` (formula), uninstall first:
> ```bash
> brew uninstall lolcathost
> ```
After Homebrew installation, run:
```bash
sudo lolcathost --install
```
### Quick Install
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lukaszraczylo/lolcathost/main/install.sh | bash
```
### Manual Download
Download binaries from the [releases page](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/lolcathost/releases).
### Build from Source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/lolcathost.git
cd lolcathost
make build
sudo ./build/lolcathost --install
```
### Verifying Release Signatures
All release checksums are signed with [cosign](https://github.com/sigstore/cosign) using keyless signing. To verify:
```bash
# Download the checksum file and its sigstore bundle from the release
cosign verify-blob \
--certificate-identity-regexp "https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/lolcathost/.*" \
--certificate-oidc-issuer "https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com" \
--bundle "lolcathost--checksums.txt.sigstore.json" \
lolcathost--checksums.txt
```
### Post-Installation
The installer will:
- Install the binary to `/usr/local/bin/lolcathost`
- Create a LaunchDaemon (macOS) or systemd service (Linux)
- Start the daemon automatically
- Create the default config at `/etc/lolcathost/config.yaml`
## Quick Start
After installation, open a **new terminal** and run:
```bash
lolcathost
```
### Keyboard Controls
| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `↑↓` / `j/k` | Navigate entries |
| `Space` / `Enter` | Toggle entry enabled/disabled |
| `n` | Add new host entry |
| `e` | Edit selected entry |
| `d` | Delete selected entry |
| `p` | Open preset picker |
| `g` | Open group manager |
| `/` | Search |
| `r` | Refresh list |
| `?` | Show help |
| `q` | Quit |
## Configuration
### Config File Location
The configuration is stored at `/etc/lolcathost/config.yaml` and managed by the daemon.
- **TUI/CLI changes**: All changes made through the TUI or CLI are automatically saved to this file
- **Manual editing**: To edit manually, use `sudo nano /etc/lolcathost/config.yaml` (changes are picked up automatically via hot-reload)
### Example Configuration
```yaml
# Groups for organizing host entries
groups:
- name: development
hosts:
- domain: myapp.local
ip: 127.0.0.1
enabled: true
- domain: api.myapp.local
ip: 127.0.0.1
enabled: true
- name: staging
hosts:
- domain: staging.example.com
ip: 192.168.1.100
enabled: false
# Presets for quick configuration switching
presets:
- name: work
enable:
- myapp-local
- api-myapp-local
disable:
- staging-example-com
- name: testing
enable:
- staging-example-com
disable:
- myapp-local
# Domain blocklist (prevent adding these domains)
blocklist:
- google.com
- facebook.com
- github.com
```
### Host Entry Fields
| Field | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| `domain` | Yes | The hostname (e.g., myapp.local) |
| `ip` | Yes | IP address to resolve to |
| `enabled` | No | Whether entry is active (default: false) |
Note: Aliases are auto-generated from domain names (e.g., `myapp.local` becomes `myapp-local`).
## CLI Commands
```bash
lolcathost # Launch TUI
lolcathost list # List all entries
lolcathost on # Enable entry
lolcathost off # Disable entry
lolcathost preset # Apply preset
lolcathost status # Show daemon status
```
### Version & Updates
```bash
lolcathost --version # Show current version
lolcathost --update # Check for updates
```
### Installation Commands
```bash
sudo lolcathost --install # Install daemon
sudo lolcathost --uninstall # Uninstall daemon
```
## Status Indicators
| Indicator | Description |
|-----------|-------------|
| `● Active` | Entry is enabled and in /etc/hosts |
| `○ Disabled` | Entry is disabled |
| `◐ Pending` | Operation in progress |
| `✗ Error` | Operation failed |
## Architecture
lolcathost uses a daemon-based architecture for security:
```
┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────┐
│ lolcathost │ JSON │ Daemon │
│ CLI / TUI │◄───────►│ (runs as root) │
│ (runs as user) │ Unix │ │
└─────────────────┘ Socket └──────────┬──────────┘
│
┌────────▼────────┐
│ /etc/hosts │
└─────────────────┘
```
**Daemon** (runs as root):
- Handles `/etc/hosts` modifications
- Creates automatic backups (10 rolling)
- Validates inputs (domain, IP)
- Rate limiting protection (100 req/min per PID)
- Flushes DNS cache automatically
**Client** (CLI/TUI, runs as user):
- Connects via Unix socket
- JSON protocol for commands
- No sudo required for operations
- Real-time status updates
Socket: `/var/run/lolcathost.sock`
Backups: `/var/backups/lolcathost/`
## Troubleshooting
### "daemon not running (socket not found)"
The daemon isn't running. Install or reinstall:
```bash
sudo lolcathost --uninstall
sudo lolcathost --install
```
Then open a **new terminal** for group membership to take effect.
### Check Daemon Status
```bash
# macOS
sudo launchctl list | grep lolcathost
# Linux
sudo systemctl status lolcathost
```
### View Daemon Logs
```bash
# macOS/Linux
cat /var/log/lolcathost/daemon.log
cat /var/log/lolcathost/daemon.err
```
### DNS Cache Not Flushing
lolcathost automatically flushes the DNS cache after changes:
- **macOS**: Uses `dscacheutil -flushcache` and `killall -HUP mDNSResponder`
- **Linux**: Uses `systemd-resolve --flush-caches` or `nscd -i hosts`
If changes don't take effect, manually flush:
```bash
# macOS
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache && sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
# Linux (systemd)
sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches
```
## Development
### Prerequisites
- Go 1.24+
- macOS or Linux
### Build
```bash
make build # Build binary
make test # Run tests
make test-coverage # Tests with coverage
make lint # Run linters
make dev # Format, lint, test, build
```
### Project Structure
```
cmd/lolcathost/ - Entry point, CLI commands
internal/
protocol/ - JSON message types (Unix socket)
config/ - YAML config parsing, hot-reload
daemon/ - Socket server, /etc/hosts management
client/ - Socket client library
installer/ - --install/--uninstall logic
tui/ - Bubble Tea TUI
version/ - Update checker
```
## Telemetry
On startup this binary sends a single anonymous adoption ping — project name,
version, timestamp; no identifiers, no command output, no payload contents.
Fire-and-forget with a 2-second timeout; cannot block startup or panic.
See **[oss-telemetry — Disabling telemetry](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/oss-telemetry#disabling-telemetry)**
for the exact wire format, source, and full opt-out documentation.
Quick opt-out: set any of `DO_NOT_TRACK=1`, `OSS_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1`,
or `LOLCATHOST_DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1`.
## License
MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE).
## Acknowledgments
- [Bubble Tea](https://github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea) - Terminal UI framework
- [Lipgloss](https://github.com/charmbracelet/lipgloss) - Terminal styling
## Links
- [Website](https://lukaszraczylo.github.io/lolcathost)
- [Issues](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/lolcathost/issues)
- [Releases](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/lolcathost/releases)