Can I configure the Windows hosts file to use IP address plus port?

I want to configure the Windows hosts file to send host requests based on IP address + ports.

For example:

127.0.0.1:80       www.site1.com
127.0.0.1:8080     www.sitetwo.com

Because I have Apache listening on port 8080 and IIS on port 80 (default).

So, I think the best way to do this is to modify the hosts file. It's not affecting anything. Neither I am getting any error nor any message.

Solution 1:

You can't. The hosts file is just that -- hosts. It's the equivalent of a "short-circuited" DNS within your local machine. DNS can't send you to ports, either.

To achieve what you're trying to do, you would want to set up virtual hosting under IIS or Apache, and use that (based on the HTTP Host: header) to let the service decide which site to present. This won't help you, though, if you want to be doing this with both IIS and Apache simultaneously.

Solution 2:

• The hosts file is for host name resolution only
• The browser, in the absence of directly specifying the port: i.e. <hostname>:<port>, defaults to port 80

###Typical Problem Scenario###

1. applications typically set their servers to the same default ip address 127.0.0.1 aka localhost (defined in the hosts file).
2. to avoid collision between possibly other existing/running servers, the application typically allows you to change the port, but not the ip address.

2a. If you could change the servers ip address to another in the loopback reserved address space 127.0.0.0/8, then you probably wouldn't be attempting to set ports in the hosts file.

Possible solution

You can work around this using Windows included Networking tool netsh as a port proxy.

Overview

example.app
 |                               <--browser defaults to port 80
 +--> example.app:80
       |                         <--Hostname resolution by Hosts File
       +--> 127.65.43.21:80      
             |                   <--Link by netsh Utility
             +--> 127.0.0.1:8081

Actions

• Start your server on localhost:8081
• Add the "local DNS" in the hosts file as a new line
  • 127.65.43.21 example.app
    • Any free address in the network 127.0.0.0/8 can be used.
    • Note: I am assuming 127.65.43.21:80 is not occupied by another service.
    • You can check with netstat -a -n -p TCP | grep "LISTENING"
• add the following network configuration with netsh command utility
  • netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4 listenport=80 listenaddress=127.65.43.21 connectport=8081 connectaddress=127.0.0.1
• Access the server at http://example.app

*Notes:

• These commands/file modifications need to be executed with Admin rights*

- netsh portproxy needs ipv6 libraries even only to use v4tov4, typically they will also be included by default, otherwise install them using the following command: netsh interface ipv6 install

You can see the entry you have added with the command:

netsh interface portproxy show v4tov4

You can remove the entry with the following command:

netsh interface portproxy delete v4tov4 listenport=80 listenaddress=127.65.43.21

###Links to Resources:###

• Using Netsh
• Netsh commands for Interface IP
• Netsh commands for Interface Portproxy
• Windows Port Forwarding Example

Note: this answer is a duplication of my answer discussed in this similar question/answer on stackoverflow.

Solution 3:

You can do that with Fiddler. With Fiddler script, you can many amazing things.

If you set hosts like this

127.0.0.1     www.site1.com    # Port 80
127.0.0.1     www.sitetwo.com  # Port 8080

Add this in CustomRules.js(to open CustomRules.js, choose Customize Rules on Fiddler's Rules menu)

// this method is already exist
static function OnBeforeRequest(oSession: Session) {  
    if (oSession.host.toLowerCase() == "www.sitetwo.com") 
        oSession.host = "www.sitetwo.com:8080";
    ...
}

Then Fiddler convert the host, and you'll connect to port 8080.

Solution 4:

No, you can't. If it's not working, then something else is going wrong.

127.0.0.1 site.com
127.0.0.1 www.site.com

I assume this is for a development box?

DNS will resolve site.com and www.site.com to localhost as long as you're not doing something like proxying your DNS queries. You should probably ask over at ServerFault for webserver configuration help, that's the most likely issue.