HostBar
Guides
- Hosts file change not taking effect on Mac
Why an /etc/hosts edit on macOS seems to do nothing: the DNS cache, the browser's own cache, a VPN's split-DNS resolver, the order of lines, and how to check which one it is.
- Edit the hosts file on macOS
How to open and edit /etc/hosts on a Mac with sudo, what the format is, how to add IPv6 lines, and how to undo a change cleanly.
- Flush the DNS cache on macOS (14, 15, and 26)
The command that flushes the DNS cache on every current macOS version, what each half does, when a flush is actually needed, and what it does not fix.
- What /etc/resolver is on macOS and who put files there
The /etc/resolver directory sends lookups for one domain to a specific DNS server. Tools like dnsmasq setups, Docker helpers, and VPN clients leave files there; here is how to read, test, and remove them.
- VPN is connected but internal hostnames do not resolve on Mac
How macOS decides which DNS server answers for a corporate domain over VPN (scoped resolvers and supplemental match domains), how to see that decision with scutil, and the three usual reasons it goes wrong.
- Reading scutil --dns on macOS
A field-by-field walk through scutil --dns output: resolver blocks, nameserver, search domain, domain, if_index, flags, reach, and order, and what the "DNS configuration (for scoped queries)" section means.
- ping, dig, and the browser give different IPs on Mac
Why three tools on the same Mac can resolve one hostname three ways: ping and curl use the system resolver with the hosts file, dig talks to a DNS server directly, and browsers may cache or use their own resolver.
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