Portable HostsServer

Portable HostsServer is a simple-to-use HTTP server that can be run alongside a custom Hosts file to speed up Internet browsing and block URLs. It can be used with applications that serve as Hosts editors, such as HostsMan.

As the name implies, installation is not required. It means that you can drop the program files in any part of the hard disk and just click the executable to launch HostsServer, as well as save them to a USB flash drive in order to run the tool on any computer with minimum effort and no previous installers.

An important aspect worth taking into account is that the app does not modify Windows registry, so it does not increase the risk of system stability issues.

The GUI is user-friendly, made from a single window with a plain and simple structure, where the server automatically starts running upon program deployment.

Blocked URLs are marked in a log area that you can view at any time. It is possible to use a search function when dealing with large amounts of data, as well as to find out the data, host, document and referrer for each entry.

HostsServer can be set to automatically start the server when the current or another user logs on. It can show an icon in the system tray area for quick access and get sent there on close. What's more, the program can be asked to display a message or pop up an image when blocking a website. Activity logging can be deactivated.

We have not come across any stability issues throughout our evaluation, since HostsServer does not hang, crash or pop up error messages. It has a good response time and requires low CPU and RAM to work properly, so it shouldn't hog system resources. It gets the job done.