Hi HN,
I built a small macOS utility called HostFileApp that lets you manage your /etc/hosts file with a simple visual interface — no Terminal required.
I’ve always found editing the hosts file manually a bit risky and inconvenient (especially when switching between dev and production environments), so I wanted something that felt native to macOS and handled the details safely.
What it does:
• Add, edit, or disable host entries visually
• Automatically back up before every save
• Validate hostnames and IPs
• Flush the DNS cache instantly
• Optional lightweight local DNS server with wildcard domain support (*.example.com)
It’s built with Swift and SwiftUI, signed and notarised by Apple, and runs natively on Apple Silicon.
There’s a small licensing component for updates and continued development, but you can try everything freely for a week — no email required.
I’d really appreciate feedback from other Mac devs or sysadmins:
• Is there anything missing that would make this more useful?
• How do you handle local domain mapping in your workflow today?
You can download and run it here: https://hostfileapp.com
Thanks,
Rich
The goal with HostFileApp was to make /etc/hosts management easier, safer and less error-prone for devs and sysadmins, without relying on Terminal.