Bash Script functions to Manage /etc/hosts file for adding/removing hostnames.

bash_aliases.sh

# remove specified host from /etc/hosts
function removehost() {
    if [[ "$1" ]]
    then
        HOSTNAME=$1

        if [ -n "$(grep $HOSTNAME /etc/hosts)" ]
        then
            echo "$HOSTNAME Found in your /etc/hosts, Removing now...";
            sudo sed -i".bak" "/$HOSTNAME/d" /etc/hosts
        else
            echo "$HOSTNAME was not found in your /etc/hosts";
        fi
    else
        echo "Error: missing required parameters."
        echo "Usage: "
        echo "  removehost domain"
    fi
}

#add new ip host pair to /etc/hosts
function addhost() {
    if [[ "$1" ]]
    then
        HOSTNAME=$1
        IP="${2:-127.0.0.1}"

        if [ -n "$(grep $HOSTNAME /etc/hosts)" ]
            then
                echo "$HOSTNAME already exists:";
                echo $(grep $HOSTNAME /etc/hosts);
            else
                echo "Adding $HOSTNAME to your /etc/hosts";
                printf "%s\t%s\n" "$IP" "$HOSTNAME" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts > /dev/null;

                if [ -n "$(grep $HOSTNAME /etc/hosts)" ]
                    then
                        echo "$HOSTNAME was added succesfully:";
                        echo $(grep $HOSTNAME /etc/hosts);
                    else
                        echo "Failed to Add $HOSTNAME, Try again!";
                fi
        fi
    else
        echo "Error: missing required parameters."
        echo "Usage: "
        echo "  addhost domain [IP]"
    fi
}

@KevinDanikowski,

These are just functions that can be added to the .bashrc (or some file another file that is sourced in .bashrc). Once they are added, you need source .bashrc for them to get picked up. The easiest way to do this is do the following...

source $HOME/.bashrc

That's it. Happy hacking!

Yep. These are just helper function i used mostly in homestead or other virtual machines or docker containers to edit /etc/hosts so a certain domain name can be pointed to a certain IP address.

Just create a ~/.bash_aliases file and make sure it is sourced in your ~/.bashrc file and either source that file or just close you console and open a new one.