npm package: @milkmaccya2/hostswitch
Description: A simple CLI tool to manage and switch between multiple hosts file profiles for different development environments
Author: milkmaccya2
Latest version: 1.2.10

# HostSwitch

[![npm version](https://badge.fury.io/js/@milkmaccya2%2Fhostswitch.svg)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@milkmaccya2/hostswitch)
[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)

A simple CLI tool for switching hosts file profiles

[日本語](README.ja.md) | [Documentation (English)](https://milkmaccya2.github.io/hostswitch/en/) | [Documentation (日本語)](https://milkmaccya2.github.io/hostswitch/)

## Overview

HostSwitch is a CLI tool that makes it easy to switch between different hosts configurations for development and testing environments. Unlike GUI applications like Gas Mask, it focuses on quick command-line operations.

### Perfect for

- 👨‍💻 Web developers working with multiple development environments
- 🔧 Engineers who need to test across local, staging, and production
- 🏢 System administrators managing multiple server environments
- 🚀 Anyone who prefers fast CLI operations

## Key Features

- ✅ **Multiple hosts profile management** - For development, staging, production, etc.
- 💾 **Automatic backup** - Saves current hosts before switching
- 🎨 **Colorful output** - Clear status visibility
- ⚡ **Simple CLI** - Easy-to-remember commands
- 🔒 **Safe operations** - Explicit sudo requirements
- 🎯 **Interactive mode** - User-friendly prompts when run without arguments

## Requirements

- Node.js 20.0.0 or higher
- macOS / Linux / Windows (WSL recommended)
- sudo permissions (for hosts file switching)

## Installation

### Install from npm (Recommended)
```bash
# Global installation
npm install -g @milkmaccya2/hostswitch

# Or run directly with npx
npx @milkmaccya2/hostswitch list
```

### Install from source
```bash
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/milkmaccya2/hostswitch.git
cd hostswitch

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build TypeScript source
npm run build

# Global installation (optional)
npm link
```

## Usage

### Interactive Mode
```bash
# Run without arguments for interactive mode
hostswitch

# Navigate with arrow keys, select options with Enter
? What would you like to do? (Use arrow keys)
❯ Switch profile (current: local)
  List all profiles  
  Create new profile
  Edit profile
  Delete profile
  Exit
```

### List profiles
```bash
hostswitch list
# or
hostswitch ls
```

### Create a profile
```bash
# Create with default content
hostswitch create development

# Create from current hosts file
hostswitch create production --from-current
```

### Switch profile (auto-sudo)
```bash
# No need to type sudo manually - it will automatically rerun with sudo if needed
hostswitch switch development
# or
hostswitch use development
```

### Show profile contents
```bash
hostswitch show development
# or
hostswitch cat development
```

### Edit a profile
```bash
hostswitch edit development
```

### Delete a profile
```bash
# Delete with confirmation flag (required for safety)
hostswitch delete development --force
# or
hostswitch rm development --force
```


## Common Use Cases

### Development Environment Setup

```bash
# For local development
hostswitch create local
hostswitch edit local
# 127.0.0.1 api.myapp.local
# 127.0.0.1 app.myapp.local

# For Docker environment
hostswitch create docker
hostswitch edit docker
# 172.17.0.2 api.myapp.docker
# 172.17.0.3 db.myapp.docker

# Switch between them (auto-sudo)
hostswitch switch local
```

### Team Development

```bash
# Reference team member's environment
hostswitch create team-dev --from-current

# Switch back to your environment (auto-sudo)
hostswitch switch local
```

### Production Testing

```bash
# Create hosts pointing to production
hostswitch create production
hostswitch edit production
# 192.168.1.100 api.myapp.com
# 192.168.1.101 app.myapp.com

# Run tests (auto-sudo)
hostswitch switch production
# After testing (auto-sudo)
hostswitch switch local
```

## Development

### Building from source
```bash
# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build TypeScript
npm run build

# Watch mode for development
npm run build:watch

# Run in development mode
npm run dev -- list
```

### Code Quality
The project uses **Biome** for linting and formatting:

```bash
# Check for linting errors
npm run lint

# Auto-fix linting and formatting issues
npm run lint:fix

# Format code only
npm run format

# Check formatting without fixing
npm run format:check

# Run linting + formatting + tests (recommended for CI)
npm run check
```

### Testing
```bash
# Run tests in watch mode
npm test

# Run tests once
npm run test:run

# Open test UI
npm run test:ui

# Generate coverage report
npm run test:coverage
```

### Project Structure
```
hostswitch/
├── src/
│   ├── interfaces/           # Type definitions and abstractions
│   ├── core/                # Domain logic (business rules)
│   ├── cli/                 # CLI-specific implementation
│   ├── infrastructure/      # External dependencies implementation
│   ├── config/              # Configuration management
│   └── hostswitch.ts       # Entry point with dependency injection
├── dist/                    # Compiled JavaScript (generated)
├── tsconfig.json           # TypeScript configuration
└── package.json
```

### Architecture

The application follows a clean architecture pattern:
- **Domain Layer**: Pure business logic in `HostSwitchService`
- **CLI Layer**: Command handling and user interaction
- **Infrastructure Layer**: File system, logging, and process execution
- **Dependency Injection**: All dependencies are injected via interfaces

This design enables:
- Easy unit testing with mocked dependencies
- Clear separation of concerns
- Platform-agnostic core logic
- Future extensibility (e.g., GUI or API interfaces)

## Troubleshooting

### Permission Issues

#### Auto-sudo Detection
HostSwitch automatically detects when sudo privileges are needed and will prompt for admin access:

```bash
# ✅ Recommended - HostSwitch handles sudo automatically
hostswitch switch dev
# → "Requesting administrative access..." (auto-sudo prompt)

# ✅ Manual sudo also works
sudo hostswitch switch dev

# ❌ Will show auto-sudo prompt if permissions needed
hostswitch switch dev  # Auto-prompts for sudo
```

#### Permission Denied Errors
```bash
# If auto-sudo fails, try manual sudo
sudo hostswitch switch dev

# On Windows, run as Administrator
# Right-click Command Prompt → "Run as administrator"
```

### Profile Issues

#### Profile Not Found
```bash
# Check available profiles
hostswitch list

# Verify profile name (case-sensitive)
hostswitch show [profile-name]

# Check profile directory
ls ~/.hostswitch/profiles/
```

#### Profile Corruption
```bash
# Recreate corrupted profile
hostswitch delete corrupted-profile --force
hostswitch create corrupted-profile --from-current
```

### Windows Usage

For Windows, we recommend using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). If using native Windows, run Command Prompt as Administrator.

**Note**: Native Windows support has been improved. The tool now automatically detects the Windows hosts file location (`C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts`).

## Data Storage

- Profiles: `~/.hostswitch/profiles/`
- Backups: `~/.hostswitch/backups/`
- Current profile info: `~/.hostswitch/current.json`

## License

MIT License - See [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.

## Author

[milkmaccya2](https://github.com/milkmaccya2)

## Contributing

Bug reports and feature requests are welcome at [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/milkmaccya2/hostswitch/issues).