# hosts

> Consolidated hosts files for blocking ads, malware, and tracking

StevenBlack/hosts combines and deduplicates curated hosts files to block malware, adware, trackers, and unwanted domains. It provides pre-compiled blocklists along with Python tooling to generate custom unified hosts configurations. Users can apply the lists directly to their operating system or integrate them into network-level DNS sinks.

- Source: https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts
- License: MIT
- Built with: Python 87.1%, PowerShell 6.7%, Shell 2.4%, Nix 1.9%, Other 1.9%
- Stars: 31352
- Forks: 2444
- Contributors: 160
- Last commit: 2026-10-29
- Latest release: 3.16.127 (2026-10-29)
- Purpose: Security & identity
- Type: Docker / self-host, CLI
- For: Personal, Enterprise

## Can I use it?

MIT License. Permissive. Few rules: use it almost any way you like, if you keep the notice.

- Use it at work: Yes. Free for personal and company use.
- Sell what you build with it: Yes. You can sell apps and services that include it.
- Keep your own code private: Yes. You don’t have to share your code or your changes.
- Put it in a closed-source app: Yes. You can ship it inside closed-source software.
- Credit the authors: Required. Keep the copyright and license notice in the copies you share.

Good to know:

- It comes with no promise that it works. You use it at your own risk.
- This covers the project’s own code. Its dependencies, and folders like “ee”, may have other licenses.
- The license can change between versions. The one in the version you use is what counts.

_For information only, not legal advice. This is a short summary of the MIT License. The license text is what counts. [Read the full license](https://spdx.org/licenses/MIT.html). For a business decision, ask a lawyer._

## Worth score: 78/100

How much DigGitHub recommends it, from activity, adoption, docs, license and security signals.

- Popularity: 22/25
- Momentum: 10/20
- Maintenance: 25/25
- Community: 12/15
- Readiness: 9/15

## Downloads

Latest release: [Release 3.16.127](https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts/releases/tag/3.16.127). Files from the project's GitHub release, not checked by DigGitHub.

Source code only: this release has no files to download.

## Alternatives

- [IPsec VPN Setup](https://diggithub.com/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn.md): Set up your own IPsec VPN server in minutes
- [Web Check](https://diggithub.com/lissy93/web-check.md): All-in-one website analysis
- [i2pd](https://diggithub.com/PurpleI2P/i2pd.md): I2P anonymous network router

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Source page: https://diggithub.com/StevenBlack/hosts
Updated: 2026-11-01