Documentation

This commit is contained in:
Jacob Windle 2020-01-18 07:38:32 -05:00
parent cb36f1790a
commit fea10c2d6e

View File

@ -6,21 +6,27 @@ This is a system utility written in C that allows one to quickly black hole host
# How it Works
The program "blackholes" hosts by setting their entries in /etc/hosts to be
`0.0.0.0` so that when one tries to resolve the host in the browser the host will
resolve to `0.0.0.0`.
The program will wake up in a configurable timeframe continuously, reading a config file into memory and making appropriate changes to the /etc/hosts based on what it reads from the config.
Starting the program like this allows for the program to run as a daemon:
```bash
sudo hb -period <wakeup period> -config <path/to/config> -daemon
```
The config file at the moment is just a newline separated list of hosts that will
be added to the /etc/hosts file.
# Motivations
I would like to get better with C, and will be using C much more in the near future. In addition, I have issues with browsing to sites that hurt my productivity and am always on the command line.
# TODO
1. Get delete working for my /etc/hosts editor.
2. Daemonize this program to be started up by systemd.
- As part of daemonization, remember and remove added hosts on teardown.
- Can do this with an atexit handler, and a routine in main.
3. Log dns requests that look at the hosts file -- To see how many go where
4. As part of daemonization -- only block hosts within a time limit.
- Sleep, wakeup, check if time has passed or not, block/unblock host,
sleep again.
5. Read hosts to block from a config file (to not pollute the /etc/hosts file)
6. Design a unified interface for reading a hosts file.
- Debug logging
- Systemd unit file for running as a daemon