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hostess for Mac

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

Quick answer: hostess is a command-line tool for macOS. Install it with brew install hostess. It is distributed under the MIT licence. It has 8 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What hostess is

hostess is a command-line tool for macOS: idempotent command-line utility for managing your /etc/hosts file.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. The project is open source and lives at https://github.com/cbednarski/hostess.

How to install hostess

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install hostess.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I install hostess on Mac?

Run brew install hostess in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is hostess open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the MIT licence.

Does hostess run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is hostess?

It was installed 8 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #8582 in this catalogue.

What version of hostess is current?

The latest packaged version is 0.5.2.