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Wildcard Local Domains: hosts File Limits & dnsmasq

Wildcard Local Domains: hosts File Limits & dnsmasq

2 min read

The hosts file does not support wildcards like *.myapp.test. Learn why, and how to set up wildcard local domains with dnsmasq on macOS and Linux.

**The hosts file cannot do wildcards, a line like 127.0.0.1 *.myapp.test will not work. The hosts file matches exact** hostnames only, so every subdomain must be listed on its own line. When you need *.myapp.test (any subdomain) to resolve locally, use dnsmasq, a lightweight DNS resolver that supports wildcard rules.

Why the hosts file has no wildcards

The hosts file is a flat lookup table: one IP, one or more exact names per line. There is no pattern matching, so *, regexes, and ranges are ignored. For a few known subdomains, just list them:

127.0.0.1 myapp.test api.myapp.test admin.myapp.test
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See the hosts file syntax guide for the exact format. This breaks down only when subdomains are dynamic or too many to maintain.

Wildcard local domains with dnsmasq

dnsmasq resolves a domain and all its subdomains with one rule.

macOS (Homebrew)

brew install dnsmasq
echo 'address=/myapp.test/127.0.0.1' >> $(brew --prefix)/etc/dnsmasq.conf
sudo brew services start dnsmasq

Then tell macOS to send .test lookups to dnsmasq:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/resolver
echo 'nameserver 127.0.0.1' | sudo tee /etc/resolver/test

Now anything.myapp.test resolves to 127.0.0.1 without editing the hosts file.

Linux

sudo apt install dnsmasq
echo 'address=/myapp.test/127.0.0.1' | sudo tee /etc/dnsmasq.d/myapp.conf
sudo systemctl restart dnsmasq

On systemd-resolved setups, ensure dnsmasq is the resolver for .test or point /etc/resolv.conf accordingly, then flush DNS on Linux.

Verify it works

dig foo.myapp.test @127.0.0.1
ping bar.myapp.test

Both should resolve to 127.0.0.1. Pick a safe TLD first, see which TLD to use for local development.

hosts file vs dnsmasq: which to use

  • A few fixed subdomains: the hosts file is simpler and needs no service.
  • Dynamic or many subdomains: dnsmasq with a wildcard rule.

For everyday fixed mappings, ToggleHosts manages hosts entries with safe toggles and automatic DNS flushing, so you only reach for dnsmasq when you genuinely need wildcards.

_Last tested: June 2026 on macOS and Ubuntu 24.04._

Sources and further reading

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The hosts file matches exact hostnames only. A line like 127.0.0.1 *.myapp.test does not work, each subdomain must be listed explicitly.

Use dnsmasq. A single rule like address=/myapp.test/127.0.0.1 resolves myapp.test and every subdomain to 127.0.0.1.

Create /etc/resolver/test with "nameserver 127.0.0.1" so macOS sends all .test lookups to dnsmasq.

If you only have a handful of fixed subdomains, list them in the hosts file. Use dnsmasq when subdomains are dynamic or numerous.

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