macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install hblocklocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install hblock with Homebrew, Nix, pacman
Adblocker that creates a hosts file from multiple sources. Version 3.5.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#hblocknixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/hb/hblock/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S hblockArch Linux sync databases · hblock · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
overview
Package summary
Adblocker that creates a hosts file from multiple sources
Project links
Commands and aliases
- hblock
history
Project history and usage
hBlock is a POSIX shell hosts-file generator for blocking advertising, tracking, and malware domains. It belongs to the long Unix tradition of small text-processing security tools: fetch lists, merge/filter them, and write a system file or alternate output format.
Project history
The public GitHub repository was created in August 2015 by Hector Molinero Fernandez. The README describes hBlock as a POSIX-compliant shell script that gathers domains from multiple sources and creates a hosts file, among other formats, to prevent systems from connecting to them.
The manpage documents the program as hBlock 3.5.1 and exposes its design through options: output file, header, footer, sources file, allowlist, denylist, redirection address, wrapping, template, comments, lenient matching, regex allowlists, subdomain filtering, retries, continuation on download error, and parallel downloads.
Adoption history
The README points users to a package list and mentions various package managers. Input facts show hBlock packaged in Homebrew, Nix, and pacman, which fits its audience: Unix-like users who want repeatable hosts-file generation rather than a browser-specific blocker.
The project also publishes nightly generated blocklist outputs on its website and documents a systemd timer for regular updates, showing use as both a local command and scheduled system maintenance tool.
How it is used
The default workflow is to run hblock and let it generate a hosts file from built-in or configured sources. Users can point it at custom sources.list, allow.list, deny.list, header, and footer files under XDG_CONFIG_HOME/hblock or /etc/hblock, or print to stdout for integration with other tooling.
The README warns that hBlock replaces the system hosts file by default, so careful use and backups matter when a machine already has local hosts entries.
Why package nerds care
hBlock is package-nerd friendly because it is just a shell script with explicit files, environment variables, and predictable Unix paths. It demonstrates how a tiny package can wrap a volatile external data problem while leaving policy in plain text files.
Timeline
- 2015: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2020s: hBlock documents versioned manual pages and a 3.x command surface.
- 2020s: Homebrew, Nix, and pacman package names appear in input package facts.
Related projects
- hMirror is related by upstream maintainer documentation as a way to inspect source blocklists behind false positives.
- Hosts-file blocklists, dnsmasq-style outputs, and systemd timers are related operational pieces described by the README and manpage.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/hblock/sources.list/etc/hblock/sources.list$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/hblock/allow.list/etc/hblock/allow.list$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/hblock/deny.list/etc/hblock/deny.list$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/hblock/header/etc/hblock/header$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/hblock/footer/etc/hblock/footer
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
hblock | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version3.5.1
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv3.5.1
https://github.com/hectorm/hblock
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:hblock |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.5.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/hblock |
| Homepage | https://hblock.molinero.dev/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/hectorm/hblock |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/hectorm/hblock#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/hectorm/hblock/archive/refs/tags/v3.5.1.tar.gz |
| Uses from macOS | curl |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | hblock |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
hblock
nix profile install nixpkgs#hblock- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hblock
pacman95%
hblock 3.5.1-1
Adblocker that creates a hosts file from multiple sources
sudo pacman -S hblock- License: MIT
- Architecture: any
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hblock
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment