A dead-simple tool to manage and switch HOSTS files on the fly—big shout-out to reader @HelloChina for the tip!
What Is SwitchHosts?
SwitchHosts is a cross-platform HOSTS manager built with Electron, React, Jotai, Chakra UI & CodeMirror. It lets you toggle HOSTS rulesets in one click on macOS, Windows & Linux—no sudo nano, no Finder gymnastics.
Key Features
- Quick-switch profiles—combine multiple sets for complex dev environments
- Syntax highlighting (IPs, domains, comments) so you never mis-type an address
- Load remote HOSTS URLs (e.g. ad-block lists) and auto-update on schedule
- Light & dark mode for late-night debugging
- System-tray / menu-bar icon—right-click to swap profiles without opening the window
Why You’ll Actually Use It
Editing /etc/hosts manually is painful: root permissions, Terminal, password prompts, duplicate backups… SwitchHosts turns that into a single toggle. Create a profile per project (staging, local, client test), click the switch, and your browser instantly hits the new IP—no restart, no cache flush.