Windows Hosts file is a popular system file which is used as a local DNS server in Windows. It means that when you browse the Internet, the browser will first look for the site you have opened in the Hosts file. If it is present in the Hosts file, the site will be translated to its IP address quickly and then the browser starts to load data from that IP address. The default Windows Hosts file is located in the following folder:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
Let’s take an example to understand this more clearly. A user wants to open www.google.com in Firefox. He will type www.google.com in the address bar (awesome bar in Firefox). Behind the scenes, Firefox will first lookup that address in the Windows Hosts file. If it is not listed there, it will go to the default DNS server specified in network settings.
Hosts file consists of the web address and the IP address of a website so that the translation from web address to IP address and vice versa becomes very simple and fast. Hosts file can be very useful if used carefully. What I have done is that I have listed down all the domains that I use very frequently and their IP addresses in the Hosts file. This saves me a lot of time and the website opens very quickly. For example, I have listed down facebook.com, google.com, technize.net, twitter.com etc. in the Hosts file for faster access.
Here I will tell you about two Firefox Add-ons which can be used to manage the Windows Hosts file from within Firefox so that you may be able to add or remove entries in the Hosts file instantly without leaving your browser.
Change Hosts
Change Hosts is a fantastic Firefox Add-on which is compatible with Firefox 9 (the latest version of Firefox right now). This add-on lets you do many functions on Hosts file right from your Firefox browser. You can create many Hosts files and switch to and activate any one of them. For example, you can build a different Hosts file for your work environment and a different Hosts file for your home needs. There is no limit to the no. of Hosts files you can create.
You can also flush DNS from Change Hosts add-on. It sits on the add-on bar at the bottom of Firefox browser. It will show the active Hosts file and the IP address of the currently opened domain.
Download Change Hosts for Firefox
SwitchHosts
SwitchHosts is another useful Firefox extension which has yet to be updated for Firefox 9. The functions of SwitchHosts add-on are very similar to Change Hosts except that it allows you to create shortcuts for activating each Hosts file. It can also create and manage multiple Hosts files and the flush DNS function is also included in the add-on.
Download SwitchHosts for Firefox
Which one do you prefer for your Firefox browser?
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Usman ji your blog is very good, i read it just few days but its really helpful. Thankyou very much