mDNS Listener

Simple mDNS Listener to add .local hostnames to your machine

This script is tested on Linux and macOS. It should work on Windows as well.

Configuration

Create a file named /etc/hosts.mdns, place hostnames ending with .local on separate lines like so:

myhost1.local
myhost2.local

Whenever you change this file, you should restart the service.

Installation

git clone https://github.com/Richie765/mdns-listener
cd mdns-listener
npm install

Running manually

Just run

node mdns-listener.js

Automatic startup on boot (Linux, systemd)

cp mdns-listener.service-sample mdns-listener.service

# edit mdns-listener.service to mathch the paths on your system

sudo cp mdns-listener.service /etc/systemd/system

systemctl enable mdns-listener
systemctl start mdns-listener
journalctl -u mdns-listener.service

Automatic startup on login (macOS)

cp mdns-listener.plist-sample mdns-listener.plist

# edit mdns-listener.plist to match the paths on your system

cp mdns-listener.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/mdns-listener.plist

Logfiles are available in

• /tmp/mdns-listener-error.log
• /tmp/mdns-listener.log

Version History

1.0

• Initial version

1.1

• Fixed bug where certain requests wouldn't be answered (especially if they came from iOS)
• Respond with CNAME instead of A (works better when you have multiple interfaces)
• Changed path to hosts file to /etc/hosts.mdns
• Added Windows compatability (not tested) - will read hosts.mdns from current directory
• Added monitor.js, used for debugging and testing
• Added Linux systemd auto start on boot