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Hosts Module

doc/dsc/modules/Hosts.md

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Hosts Module

Synopsis

Manages configuration for the Hosts File Editor utility, a quick editor for the Windows hosts file.

Description

The Hosts module configures PowerToys Hosts File Editor, a utility that provides a user-friendly interface for viewing and editing the Windows hosts file. It simplifies the process of adding, modifying, and managing DNS entries in the hosts file.

Properties

The Hosts module supports the following configurable properties:

LaunchAdministrator

Controls whether the Hosts File Editor launches with administrator privileges by default.

Type: boolean
Default: false
Description: When enabled, the editor will always attempt to launch with elevated permissions, which is required to edit the hosts file.

LoopbackDuplicates

Controls how duplicate loopback addresses are handled.

Type: boolean
Default: false

AdditionalLinesPosition

Controls where additional lines are positioned when editing entries.

Type: integer
Allowed values:

  • 0 - Top
  • 1 - Bottom

Default: 0

Examples

Example 1 - Enable admin launch with direct execution

This example configures the Hosts editor to always launch with admin rights.

powershell
$config = @{
    settings = @{
        properties = @{
            LaunchAdministrator = $true
        }
        name = "Hosts"
        version = "1.0"
    }
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 -Compress

PowerToys.DSC.exe set --resource 'settings' --module Hosts --input $config

Example 2 - Configure with DSC

This example enables administrator launch and configures line positioning.

bash
dsc config set --file hosts-config.dsc.yaml
yaml
# hosts-config.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Configure Hosts File Editor
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/HostsSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          LaunchAdministrator: true
          AdditionalLinesPosition: 1
        name: Hosts
        version: 1.0

Example 3 - Install and configure with WinGet

This example installs PowerToys and configures the Hosts editor for admin launch.

bash
winget configure winget-hosts.yaml
yaml
# winget-hosts.yaml
$schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PowerShell/DSC/main/schemas/2023/08/config/document.json
metadata:
  winget:
    processor: dscv3
resources:
  - name: Install PowerToys
    type: Microsoft.WinGet.DSC/WinGetPackage
    properties:
      id: Microsoft.PowerToys
      source: winget
  
  - name: Configure Hosts File Editor
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/HostsSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          LaunchAdministrator: true
          LoopbackDuplicates: false
        name: Hosts
        version: 1.0

Example 4 - Development configuration

This example configures for development use with new entries at the bottom.

bash
dsc config set --file hosts-development.dsc.yaml
yaml
# hosts-development.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Development hosts configuration
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/HostsSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          LaunchAdministrator: true
          AdditionalLinesPosition: 1
        name: Hosts
        version: 1.0

Use cases

System administration

Configure for frequent hosts file editing:

yaml
resources:
  - name: Admin configuration
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/HostsSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          LaunchAdministrator: true
        name: Hosts
        version: 1.0

Web development

Configure for development environment management:

yaml
resources:
  - name: Developer configuration
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/HostsSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          LaunchAdministrator: true
          AdditionalLinesPosition: 1
        name: Hosts
        version: 1.0

See also

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