install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install hostess

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#hostess

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ho/hostess/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S hostess

Arch Linux sync databases · hostess · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

overview

Package summary

Idempotent command-line utility for managing your /etc/hosts file

Project links

Commands and aliases

hostess

history

Project history and usage

hostess is a Go command-line utility for idempotently managing hosts-file entries. Its niche is deliberately small: add, remove, list, format, enable, disable, dump, and apply entries in `/etc/hosts` or the Windows hosts file without hand-editing the file.

Project history

Chris Bednarski's README frames the motivation plainly: developers edit hosts files for development, testing, debugging, and production DNS failures, and manual edits are annoying. The project turns that workflow into a repeatable CLI suitable for Makefiles and deployment scripts.

The changelog shows the package starting with v0.1.0 in 2015, then adding build reliability, fixed-format checks, Windows support, Go module support, and a significant CLI/API cleanup in 2020.

Adoption history

hostess reached users through GitHub releases and package managers including Homebrew, Nix, and Arch. Its cross-platform behavior matters for adoption because the Unix hosts file and Windows hosts file have different paths and formatting expectations.

How it is used

Common usage is `hostess add name ip`, `hostess rm name`, `hostess ls`, `hostess off name`, `hostess on name`, `hostess fmt`, `hostess dump`, and `hostess apply`. The README notes that elevated privileges are required because hosts files are protected by the operating system.

Environment variables provide the small amount of configuration the tool needs: `HOSTESS_FMT` can override format detection and `HOSTESS_PATH` can override the hosts-file path.

Why package nerds care

hostess is a tidy example of a package-manager-friendly utility: one small executable, obvious system integration, no daemon, and behavior that replaces a risky manual edit. The 2020 refactor is also package-relevant because it removed an external CLI dependency and modernized Go tooling.

Timeline

2015: v0.1.0 initial release.
2016: v0.2.x vendors the CLI dependency for more reliable builds.
2018: v0.3.0 adds a fixed-format check and improves parsing failure behavior.
2020: v0.4.0 refactors the CLI/API, removes external dependency usage, and adds Go module support.
2020: v0.5.0 adds a Windows-specific hosts format.
2020: v0.5.2 fixes and clarifies duplicate/conflicting entry handling in format mode.

Related projects

The Unix `/etc/hosts` file and Windows `C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts` file are the managed targets.
Other hosts-file editors and local-development DNS helpers are related by workflow.
Go module tooling is related through the v0.4.0 project modernization.

Sources

CHANGELOG.md: release timeline and major behavior changes.
GitHub README: purpose, examples, hosts-file paths, environment variables, and privilege notes.
Homebrew input metadata: package-manager identity and ecosystem tags.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 12 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: /etc/hosts
Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`hostess`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-09-19

manager version0.5.2

manager updated2026-09-12

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.5.2

https://github.com/cbednarski/hostess

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:hostess
Version	0.5.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/hostess
Homepage	https://github.com/cbednarski/hostess
Repository	https://github.com/cbednarski/hostess
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/cbednarski/hostess/archive/refs/tags/v0.5.2.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-09-12T03:22:38Z
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	hostess
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

hostess

nix profile install nixpkgs#hostess

normalized package name match
Matched by: Hostess

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ho/hostess/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

pacman95%

hostess 0.5.2-5

An idempotent command-line utility for managing your /etc/hosts file.

https://github.com/cbednarski/hostess

sudo pacman -S hostess

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Hostess

Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: hostess from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/hostess.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment
pkg.so package database
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install hostess with Homebrew, Nix, pacman