Richie765 / mdns-listener

Simple mDNS Listener to add .local hostnames to your machine

mDNS Listener

Simple mDNS Listener to add .local hostnames to your machine

This script is tested on Linux and macOS. It should work on Windows as well.

Configuration

Create a file named /etc/hosts.mdns, place hostnames ending with .local on separate lines like so:

myhost1.local
myhost2.local

Whenever you change this file, you should restart the service.

Installation

git clone https://github.com/Richie765/mdns-listener
cd mdns-listener
npm install

Running manually

Just run

node mdns-listener.js

Automatic startup on boot (Linux, systemd)

cp mdns-listener.service-sample mdns-listener.service

# edit mdns-listener.service to mathch the paths on your system

sudo cp mdns-listener.service /etc/systemd/system

systemctl enable mdns-listener
systemctl start mdns-listener
journalctl -u mdns-listener.service

Automatic startup on login (macOS)

cp mdns-listener.plist-sample mdns-listener.plist

# edit mdns-listener.plist to match the paths on your system

cp mdns-listener.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/mdns-listener.plist

Logfiles are available in

• /tmp/mdns-listener-error.log
• /tmp/mdns-listener.log

Version History

1.0

• Initial version

1.1

• Fixed bug where certain requests wouldn't be answered (especially if they came from iOS)
• Respond with CNAME instead of A (works better when you have multiple interfaces)
• Changed path to hosts file to /etc/hosts.mdns
• Added Windows compatability (not tested) - will read hosts.mdns from current directory
• Added monitor.js, used for debugging and testing
• Added Linux systemd auto start on boot