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Website Blocker

Overview

This project is a Python-based website blocker that restricts access to selected websites during specified working hours. It modifies the system's hosts file to redirect targeted domains to the local machine, effectively preventing access.

The script supports both Unix-based systems and Windows by dynamically detecting the operating system and selecting the appropriate hosts file.

Features

  • Cross-platform support (Linux, macOS, Windows)
  • Time-based website blocking
  • Interactive selection of popular websites
  • Support for custom user-defined domains
  • Automatic cleanup of hosts file on exit
  • Error handling for insufficient permissions
  • Modular, object-oriented design

How It Works

The program modifies the system's hosts file by adding entries that redirect selected domains (e.g., facebook.com) to 127.0.0.1. This prevents the browser from reaching the actual website.

During non-working hours, the script restores the hosts file by removing those entries.

This could be very useful for system administrators, parents, or anyone looking to improve productivity by limiting access to distracting websites during certain hours.

simple-diagram

Requirements

Python 3.x Administrator/root privileges (required to modify the hosts file)

Usage

  1. Run the script

On Linux/macOS:

sudo python3 web_blocker.py

On Windows (run terminal as Administrator):

python web_blocker.py
  1. Select websites You will be prompted to:
  • Choose from a list of common websites
  • Or enter custom domains
  1. Set working hours Enter:
  • Start hour (0–23)
  • End hour (0–23)

If invalid input is provided, default values (8–16) will be used.

Example

If you select:

  • facebook.com
  • youtube.com

The script will add entries like to the hosts file:

127.0.0.1 facebook.com
127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com

Important Notes

  • The script must be run with administrator/root privileges.
  • Modifying the hosts file affects system-wide network behavior.
  • The program automatically restores the hosts file when it is stopped using Ctrl+C.

Improvements Over Original Implementation

  • Refactored into an object-oriented design
  • Added cross-platform compatibility
  • Introduced interactive user input
  • Improved timing responsiveness
  • Added safe cleanup on exit
  • Improved error handling and reliability

Future Improvements

  • Command-line arguments support
  • Configuration file for persistent settings
  • Logging system
  • Unit testing

License

This project is part of a public repository intended for educational and practical use.