How to Install and Set Up hblock on Arch Linux

What is hblock?

hblock is a shell script that helps to block ads and trackers by modifying the hosts file. It downloads blocklists from various sources and updates the system’s hosts file to redirect unwanted domains to localhost.

Step 1: Install hblock

Open your terminal and run the following command to install hblock from the Arch User Repository (AUR):

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
cd yay
makepkg -si

Then, install hblock using yay:

yay -S hblock

Step 2: Configure hblock

After installation, you can configure hblock by editing its configuration file located at /etc/hblock/hblock.conf. Open the file with your preferred text editor:

sudo nano /etc/hblock/hblock.conf

In this file, you can customize the blocklists and other settings according to your preferences.

Step 3: Run hblock

To run hblock and update your hosts file, use the following command:

sudo hblock

This command will download the blocklists and update the hosts file accordingly.

Step 4: Automate hblock

You can automate hblock to run at regular intervals using a cron job. To edit the crontab, run:

sudo crontab -e

Add the following line to run hblock daily at midnight:

0 0 * * * /usr/bin/hblock

Step 5: Verify the Hosts File

To verify that hblock has updated your hosts file, you can check the contents of the file:

cat /etc/hosts

You should see entries for the blocked domains redirecting to 127.0.0.1.

Conclusion

hblock is now installed and configured on your Arch Linux system. You can enjoy a cleaner browsing experience by blocking ads and trackers effectively.

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