Hosts File Editor

When to use

• the user wants to open Dream resources by hostname in browser
• local

  *.localtau

  domains need to resolve on the current machine
• curl tests should avoid manual

  Host

  headers

Inputs

• One or more FQDNs (for example

  abc123.default.localtau

  )
• Target IP (default

  127.0.0.1

  for Dream local)
• OS (

  windows

  ,

  linux

  , or

  macos

  )

Hosts file paths

• Windows:

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

• Linux/macOS:

  /etc/hosts

Procedure

1. Validate each FQDN before writing:
   • non-empty
   • no scheme/path/port
   • no duplicates
2. Read current hosts file.
3. Ensure a section marker exists:

   • # Taubyte Local Domains

4. For each FQDN, ensure exactly one mapping line:

   • 127.0.0.1 <fqdn>

5. If an entry exists with a different IP, update it to target IP.
6. Preserve unrelated lines and comments.
7. Write changes with elevated permissions.
8. If elevation fails, provide exact manual steps and content to append.

Automation policy

• Always attempt automatic update first (idempotent write, no duplicates).
• On Windows, try elevated write path first; if blocked, switch to manual fallback immediately with exact lines.
• After update attempt (success or fallback), run verification curl checks so execution can continue.

Safety rules

• Never remove unrelated host mappings.
• Never add URL prefixes such as

  http://

  or

  https://

  .
• Never include ports/paths in hosts file lines.
• Prefer idempotent updates (re-running should not duplicate entries).

Verification

curl "http://<fqdn>:<port>/"

curl --resolve "<fqdn>:<port>:127.0.0.1" "http://<fqdn>:<port>/"

http://<fqdn>:<port>/

Windows manual fallback (if no elevation)

1. Open Notepad as Administrator.
2. Open

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

   (All Files filter).
3. Append:

   • # Taubyte Local Domains

   • 127.0.0.1 <fqdn>

   • (repeat one line per FQDN)
4. Save.