Curated hostfile to block trackers and advertisements

A well-maintained and curated host file containing domains that serve ads, tracking scripts and malware. Each domain is tested and verified before addding to the list. Any reported false positives will be removed as soon as possible. You can request additional domains or report false positives via Issues tab.

Check | Mirror | Submit Issue | Submit PR | Donate

 

Table of contents

• Features
• Who can use this file?
• Overview
• Usage
• Validation
• How do I determine an ad domain?
• Featured in
• Common Issues
• Stargazers over time
• Support
• License

Features

• Host file: Based on hosts file, all the bad domains are blocked with 0.0.0.0
• Any device: Compatible with all devices, regardless of OS.
• Blockings: Strictly blocks advertisements, malwares, spams, spyware & trackers and prevents your system from connecting to them.
• Page load time: Quicker loading and cleaner looking web pages with fewer distractions.
• Privacy: Helps to increase privacy by blocking online trackers.
• Efficient: Lower resource waste (bandwidth, CPU, memory, battery etc.).
• Curated: Each domain and tested and verified before adding to the list.
• Well maintained: Domains are regularly updated and false positives will be addressed quickly.
• Mirror: All the files are available in mirror which provides Last-Modified header and has 99.99% uptime.

Who can use this file?

These host files for Unix-like systems, the list contain domains that serve ads, tracking scripts and malware after adding this list to your setup, it prevents your system from connecting to them. Host file preferred over DNS so if a domain name is resolved by the hosts file, the request never leaves your computer.

Overview

It is highly recommended to use the mirror link as it provides Last-Modified header which ensures that you are getting the latest version. And the mirror has 99.99% uptime.

Host File	Domain Count	Description	Update Frequency	Raw Link	Mirror Link
adservers.txt	42,536	A reliable host file containing advertising domains, trackers, malwares and other unsafe domains. I collect these domains from my Pi-Hole and I test them for a few days before adding to the list. You can request additional domains or report existing domains via issues tab.	Frequently	link	link
facebook.txt	4,000	Host file containing domains related to facebook.com. This file doesn't block other Facebook products such as WhatsApp, Instagram etc. If you want to block all Facebook related services, use this list created by lightswitch05.	Occasionally	link	link
coinminer.txt	5,939	This host file was created when JavaScript miners were added to torrent sites. Most of the domain in this file are still active today. I recommend you to use CoinBlockerLists by ZeroDot1 along with this list.	Discontinued	link	link

Usage

This host file can be used on any device including Android, iOS, Linux, MacOS, routers with custom firmware etc. It is highly recommended to use the mirror link as it provides Last-Modified header which ensures that you are getting the latest version. And the mirror has 99.99% uptime.

• Rooted Android: For rooted device, this host file can be used with AdAway, a free and open-source ad-blocker for Android.
• Non-rooted Android: For non-rooted devices, you can use Blokada, DNS66, Nebulo, Personal DNS Filter, or RethinkDNS + Firewall.
• iOS: You can use Blokada MacOS: This host file can be used with gasmask.
• Windows: On Windows, you can use HostsMan to get the best Windows Hosts Usage Experience. Make sure to disable DNS Client Service.
• Linux: There are many scripts available on the Internet that will add the hosts to you. Or you can modify the /etc/hosts.
• DNS based adblockers: These files are compatible with DNS based adblockers such as Pi-hole and AdGuardHome.
• Adblockers: This list is compatible with uBlock, AdGuard or any other extension, software & app.

For further assistance, you can send a DM to me on Twitter.

Validation

You can test if your ad blocker is working properly or not by visiting these websites:
https://ads-blocker.com/testing/
https://blockads.fivefilters.org/

How do I determine an ad domain?

• Adam:ONE Assistant (formerly DNSthingy Assistant): This browser extension will list all of the domains that are queried when a web page is loaded. You can often look at the list of domains and cherry pick the ones that appear to be ad-serving domains.
• Using a packet sniffer (Recommended): HttpCanary HttpCanary is a powerful HTTP/HTTPS/HTTP2/WebSocket/TCP/UDP packets capture and analyzer app designed for Android platform. Source
• Using inbuilt Developer tool: For Chrome and Firefox, ctrl+shift+I will land you in Developer tools menu.
• Using an Android app: Net Guard is an Android app that can be used to monitor any specific apps, works on unrooted devices too.

Featured in:

This project is also available in many host file aggregators and other services.

                   

Common Issues

This host file blocks trackers regardless of whether it collects PII (Personally Identifiable Information) or not. Some domains need to be whitelisted for certain services to work properly. This table helps you to find the affected domain and whitelist accordingly.

Domains	Description	Services Affected
uapi.adrise.tv	The Tubi TV Roku App requires the following host to function	Tubi TV streams
cdns.gigya.com	Breaks search function in National Express and other websites. One should note that Gigya is also used for tracking behavioral data about the visitors. It is extensively used in News Portals, Entertainment and e-commerce sites.	'Find my journey' search suggestions
watson.telemetry.microsoft.com web.vortex.data.microsoft.com v10.events.data.microsoft.com v10.vortex-win.data.microsoft.com v20.vortex-win.data.microsoft.com	Blocking these domains will fail to track Xbox Live Achievements and stats. However these domains are also used to upload crash logs from Windows OS. Depending on the privacy level on your operating system, the crash logs may contain PII.	Xbox Live Achievement and Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection
manifest.auditude.com	Unable to play videos in Watch TNT app on Roku. The Adobe® Auditude® platform is used by companies that want to provide relevant content and advertisements in videos you watch on the web. Categorized under Advertising, Location, Identity, Tracking	Unable to play videos on Watch TNT app on Roku
s.amazon-adsystem.com	Unable to play videos on Twitch Client in Windows and MacOS. However Twitch webapp is not affected	Windows and MacOS Twitch Client
s0.2mdn.net c.evidon.com	Unable to play videos on several news and entertainment sites. Some of the affected sites are: techrepublic and zdnet. s0.2mdn.net is blocked in most of the hostfiles since it's a known tracker.	Videos in news and entertainment sites
s.zkcdn.net	Unable to play content on DirecTV Now. This domain is also used to serve ads, measure impressions etc.	DirecTV Now
graph.instagram.com	The Instagram Graph API allows Instagram Professional accounts — Businesses and Creators — to use your app to manage their presence on Instagram. However, it is also used to track users on the Internet. Developers who use Facebook/IG APIs should whitelist the domain.	Instagram and Facebook
tags.tiqcdn.com	Paramount+ is not working on SkyQ Receiver in Germany (#207). This domain is also used to serve tracking sripts, measure impressions etc.	Paramount+

Stargazers over time

Support

Maintaining a quality host file takes a lot of time. I have been contributing to this project over 3 years. Your support will help me to keep the project running and provide you quality service. You can also donate using UPI enabled apps such as PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm and more! (UPI ID: anudeepnd@ybl). If you have any queries related to PayPal or donation, you can send a DM to me on Twitter.

   

License

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2020 Anudeep ND <anudeep@protonmail.com>

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.