Hoast

A simple, cross-platform system tray application to manage your hosts file without the hassle

Hoast is an Electron-based application that lives in your system tray (or menu bar on macOS), allowing you to easily view, enable, disable, and add entries to your /etc/hosts file without directly editing system files.

Features

• 💻 Cross-Platform: Works seamlessly on macOS, Windows, and Linux
• 🔄 Real-Time Management: Enable or disable host entries with a single click
• ➕ Easy Addition: Add new host entries without editing files manually
• 🔒 Permission Handling: Automatically requests elevated permissions when needed
• ⚙️ Formatting Preservation: Keeps your hosts file formatted and commented exactly as you had it
• 🔍 External Change Detection: Instantly notices when the hosts file is modified outside the app
• 🚀 Quick Access: Always accessible from your system tray or menu bar

Installation

macOS

Download the latest .dmg file from the releases page and drag the application to your Applications folder.

Windows

Download and run the installer (.exe) from the releases page.

Linux

Download the appropriate package for your distribution (.AppImage or .deb) from the releases page.

Usage

1. Launch Hoast (it will appear in your system tray/menu bar)
2. Click the icon to see all your hosts file entries
3. Toggle entries on/off with a single click
4. Add new entries using the "Add Entry" option
5. Access preferences to customize your experience

Screenshots

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js (>= 14.x)
• npm or yarn

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/hoast.git

# Navigate to project directory
cd hoast

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

Building

# Build for current platform
npm run build

# Package for distribution
npm run package

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• The Electron project for making cross-platform desktop apps easy
• All contributors and testers who have helped make Hoast better