When you are in the process of developing a website or migrating it to a new hosting provider, previewing the changes before updating the DNS (Domain Name System) can save you a lot of time and avoid potential issues. One way to preview your website is by editing your hosts file. In this article, we will guide you through the process of editing your hosts file on Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.
Understanding the Hosts File
Before diving into the process, let's talk about the hosts file. The hosts file is a local file on your computer that maps domain names to IP addresses. By modifying the entries in the hosts file, you can redirect your browser to a specific IP address for a particular domain name, allowing you to preview a website before it goes live.
Now, let's see how you can edit your hosts file on different operating systems.
Editing the hosts file on Windows:
- Press the Windows key, type in Notepad, then right-click on Notepad and choose Run as administrator.
- From Notepad > File, and open the following file: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.
- Add a new line at the end of the file, specifying the IP address followed by the domain name you want to preview. For example:
127.0.0.1 www.example.com - You can grab the right IP address to use from cPanel > Shared IP Address.
- Save the file and exit the text editor.
- Flushing the DNS cache may be necessary to see the changes immediately. Open the Command Prompt, type
ipconfig /flushdns, and press Enter.
Editing the hosts file on macOS:
- Open the Terminal application.
- Type
sudo nano /etc/hostsand press Enter. - Enter your administrator password when prompted.
- Similar to the Windows hosts file, add a new line at the end of the file with the IP address and domain name you want to preview.
- Save the file by pressing Ctrl+O and exit nano by pressing Ctrl+X.
- To flush the DNS cache, enter the following command in the Terminal:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.
Editing the hosts file on Linux:
- Open the terminal.
- Enter the command
sudo nano /etc/hostsand press Enter. - Authenticate yourself by entering your password.
- Add a new line at the end of the file, just like in the previous examples.
- Save the file by pressing Ctrl+O and exit nano by pressing Ctrl+X.
- Depending on your Linux distribution, you may need to restart the NetworkManager service or restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
After editing the hosts file, you can open your web browser and visit the domain you specified in the file. Your browser will redirect you to the IP address specified in the hosts file, allowing you to preview your website before updating the DNS.
Remember to remove the entry from your hosts file once you have finished testing or migrated your website to the new hosting provider. Failure to remove the entry may result in unexpected behaviour when accessing the live website.
In conclusion, editing your hosts file is a simple and effective way to preview a website before updating DNS. It allows you to test your website changes without affecting the live version. By following the steps outlined above for your specific operating system, you can ensure a smooth transition and catch any potential issues before they are live for your visitors to see.
