Blocking with ad server and tracking server hostnames (original) (raw)

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latest exciting news updates LIVE from the front

| Tue, 05 May 2026 16:22:06 +0000 | || | New format: rpz-nxdomain | | ------------------------------- | --- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:59:00 +0000 | || | useip option update | | Fri, 12 May 2023 13:27:04 +0100 | || | Breaking parameter change: skip | | Fri, 12 May 2023 13:02:07 +0100 | || | Update to unbound config file format | | Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:21:34 +0100 | || | Options added to restrict trackers and non-trackers in the list | | Tue, 07 Apr 2020 11:05:42 +0100 | || | Privacy Sandbox app for Android |

→ Older news updates can be viewed on a separate page

about this list

Why would anyone want a list of hostnames?

The ad banners that you see all over the web are stored on servers. Stopping your computer communicating with another computer can be quite simple. So, if you have a list of the servers used for ad banners, it's easy to stop ad banners even getting to your browser.

But ad banners don't bother me

If ad banners aren't a problem for you, then these pages aren't really going to do much for you. But personally, I hate them. I've never got used to having flashing images in the corner of my vision when I'm trying to read. Imagine if real books came with neon lights that blinked messages at you over and over again. And imagine that every time you turned the page, you had to wait a few seconds whilst they changed from neon green to neon yellow. And then they'd send the title of the book, your reading speed, and what chapters you've skipped to the central Library so that they can sell the information to all the big bookstores. Reading real books would be even more unpopular than it is now! But, I guess, maybe it wouldn't - millions of people do exactly the same thing on the Interweb every day (if you substitute the book for a web site).

Why do we do it to ourselves? We need to stop this. It's time to rise up! Let us be blinked at no longer! Let the flashing cease! Down with banners! Up with transfer rates! STOP THE MADNESS!

And, Brothers and Sisters, the first step starts with YOU. Blocking ads makes sense! Start today!

Isn't this a bit much for a list of hostnames?

I started doing this a while ago, and thought I'd put my list up on the Interweb for everyone to use. That was way back in the mists of 'Net time, when the Interweb was just the Web, and dotcoms were still getting funding. Eons later, a simple list of hostnames has evolved in to what you see before you. I guess it just goes to show - even the tiniest amoebic piece of slime can become the President of the USA if you leave it alone long enough.

Why not just use Adblock or some other piece of software?

There's lots of great ad blocking software out there that's probably far more effective than just using this list. But there are also disadvantages to using these pieces of software, and sometimes people are unable to use them:

• some methods produce false positives - eg, if you were blocking all URLs containing the word "adservers", you wouldn't be able to get to this list by its usual URL (https://pgl.yoyo.org/adservers/ - which, incidentally, is why you can also get to this list via https://pgl.yoyo.org/as/)
• some methods require admin privileges - using this list as a proxy autoconfig script means that users of most browsers can use it even if they're not administrators; installing programs and editing system files can often be restricted
• some programs don't support all operating systems or applications - eg, Adblock, a very useful tool, is only available for the Firefox browser. But in any case, I'm not saying this list is definitely going to be useful to you. It's just here because it was easy for me to put it up, and there's been enough interest for me to keep updating things. If you're not interested, don't use it!

submit a hostname for the list

If you know of any other lists like this, or any ad servers I don't have listed, please mail me or type the hostname in here. (you don't need to give me your email address, but it would be nice to be able to say thanks. I promise not to use it for anything bad). Please note: although I sincerely appreciate being sent huge lists of hostnames, I don't have the time to check them for duplicates, invalid hostnames, hosts that aren't actually ad servers, etc. Submissions from the form below go into a database that allows me to easily check them and add them to the list. Please use it!

Feel free to combine this list with yours or lists from other sites and put it up on the web, though! Also: I only add top level ad server domains. So, please don't submit hostnames like "ad.se.doubleclick.net", as "doubleclick.net" is already listed, and please don't submit "host1.ads.example.com" if "ads.example.com" is already listed. Unfortunately, including all subdomains would be too time consuming for me. If you find an ad server that you want added but won't be according to these criteria, the best thing to do would be to keep a personal list which you just add this one to.

Unfortunately it's probably not worth submitting anything at the moment - spam has taken over. 10,000 mails a month to sift through, even with automated checking, is just too much extra. Fuckin spammers.

Please send general stuff to pgl@yoyo.org or just fill out the comments form below.

Ad server submission disabled until further notice.

Thanks.

start blocking ads now: four easy steps

So, to start blocking ads:

1. find your hosts file
2. download the list of ad servers
3. copy the list of ad servers on the end of your hosts file (see Where's my hosts file? if you don't know where it is)
4. restart your browser and that should hopefully be it. Don't forget though - there are loads of other ways to use this list! Using the list as a hosts file is not the most effective, but does help.

how it works

It's possible to set up a name server as authoritative for any domain you choose, allowing you to specify the DNS records for that domain. You can also configure most computers to be sort of mini-nameservers for themselves, so that they check their own DNS records before asking a nameserver. Either way, you get to say what hostname points to what IP address. If you haven't guessed already, the way you block ads it to provide bogus information about the domains we don't want to see - ie, all those servers out there that dedicate their existence to spewing out banner ads.

The hosts file

Probably the most common way people block ads like this is with something called the "hosts file". The hosts file is a simple list of hostnames and their corresponding IP addresses, which your computer looks at every time you try and contact a previously unknown hostname. If it finds an entry for the computer you're trying to reach, it sets the IP address for that computer to be whatever's in the hosts file.

127.0.0.1 is a special IP address which, to a computer, always means that computer. Any time a machine sends a network request to 127.0.0.1, it is talking to itself. This is very useful when it comes to blocking ads, because all we have to do is specify the IP address of any ad server to be 127.0.0.1. And to do that, all we have to do is edit the hosts file. What will happen then is something like this:

1. you visit a web page
2. the web page contains a banner ad stored on the server "ads.example.com"
3. your computer says "ads.example.com? never heard of it. wait a second, let's see if I've got the number on me..."
4. your computer finds its hosts file and checks to see if ads.example.com is listed
5. it finds the hostname, which points to 127.0.0.1
6. "great", says the computer, and sends off a request to 127.0.0.1 for the banner ad that's supposed to be on the page
7. "oh", says the computer, and fails to show anything because it just sent a request to itself for a banner ad Where's my hosts file?

• Windows 95 / 98 / ME: C:\Windows (I think)
• Windows NT: C:\WinNT\hosts
• Windows 2000: C:\WinNT\system32\drivers\etc
• Windows XP: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
• Windows Vista: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
• Windows 7: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
• FreeBSD / Linux / Mac OS X / Unixish operating systems: /etc/hosts
• Classic Mac OS: please read this helpful information submitted by David "iNerd" B
• Mac OS 9: Marcia Skidmore sent in details that hopefully explain what you need to know
• Mac OS 10+: Tina Kent sent in details for later versions of Mac OS The format of the hosts file is very simple - IP address, whitespace, then a list of hostnames (except for older Macs; please see above). However, you don't need to know anything about the format if you don't want to as you can just view the list hosts file.

Of course, that's not the only way to use the list, but it's probably the most simple for most people.

A much more efficient way of using the list is with a nameserver. See below for details.

other ways to use this list

• As a Windows hosts file
  I use this list with a local nameserver, but you can also use this list with windows to block ads. to do this, download the list hosts format and put it in your C:\Windows folder (C:\WinNT\system32\drivers\etc under Windows 2000; C:\WinNT under Windows NT; C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc under Windows XP) as a file called "hosts" (just "hosts", no .txt or anything). if you already have a file called "hosts" there, just add this list on to the end. (See above for a more detailed explanation of how this works.) NB: after updating your hosts file, it is recommended to run the command "nbtstat -R" to ensure changes are recognized by your computer (see this news update for more details).
• As a Unix hosts file You can of course also just put the contents of the list in hosts file format in /etc/hosts, and it'll have the same effect as running a local nameserver (as long as the machine is configured to check /etc/hosts of course).
• With Elsa/LANCOM Routers
  You can also use this list with Elsa/LANCOM routers, as described (in German) at http://www.maceinsteiger.de/html/anleitung/elsa2.html. (Lars has also been very helpful with suggesting entries for the list; thanks Lars!)
• With Your Browser's Proxy Server Settings
  If you're behind a proxy, and your browser allows you to specify pages that don't use the proxy, then putting the entries in the list of internal sites will effectively block traffic from those sites. If your browser supports automatic configuration of its proxy settings via an external URL, you can simple set your autoconfig script to be either of these URLs to stop seeing ads:
  https://pgl.yoyo.org/adservers/serverlist.php?hostformat=proxyautoconfig;showintro=0 (uses the ad server hostnames)
  https://pgl.yoyo.org/adservers/iplist.php?ipformat=proxyautoconfig;showintro=0 (uses ad server IP addresses);
• In Mozilla's Cookie Filtering
  Pinder Johal detailed in his blogzilla how to use the list to block ads with Mozilla. to do this, download the list as a cookie permission file, and put it in "C:\Documents and Settings\User\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\user\*.slt" (this is the directory for Windows 2000/XP users, so it will probably differ on other platforms). have a look at his site for more info.
• With Microsoft's DNS server
  Wolfram Kraushaar has kindly provided instructions on how to use the list with Microsoft's internal DNS cache. You will need a null zone file (similar to the one provided for use with Bind 8) which he also provided: <adservers.dns>. This file should go in
  %SystemRoot%\system32\dns (so, C:\WinNT\system32\dns for most people). Then, follow these steps:
• modify the adservers.dns file for your needs
• stop the DNS service
• download the list of ad servers as a system registry file and save with the extension ".reg"
• double click the file and confirm the updates to your system registry to add the servers
• restart the DNS service
  Wolfram also suggests: "setting up a Virtual Host on an Apache with an ErrorDocument 404 which says 'this host has been zapped'", as some browsers complain if they can't connect to hosts needed by web pages. I use Opera, which has this problem, and this is exactly what I do to get around it. If you think Apache is a bit overkill or too much effort, have a look at SimpleServer from AnalogX - as the name implies, it's easy to set up and use.
  Another way to stop your browser complaining is to point the IP addresses to a live web server instead of 127.0.0.1 (although it would probably be a bit slower as the browser would try to connect to it for each ad). You can specify an alternative IP address to be used on the list ad servers when the HTML intro is included.
  Thanks Wolfram!
  These are just a few of the ways to use the list. I've tried to make the list viewable in various formats that are convenient for various other methods, and I'll add more as I come across them. If you'd like me to add some particular way of listing the hostnames of IP addresses, let me know and I'll add it.
• Other Nameservers
  Using the list of ad servers with a name server is one of the most efficient methods. It allows you to block entire domains, rather than just individual host by configuring your nameserver to act as master for the zone. For example, by setting your DNS server to be master for "doubleclick.net", all requests for hostnames under "doubleclick.net" will fail, instead of having to add entries for "ad1.doubleclick.net", "ad2.doubleclick.net", etc.
  Another advantage is that if you use a nameserver on a LAN, setting up a machine to block ads is as easy as changing its nameserver. There's only one machine that needs to be kept up to date, and no extra software or configuration is needed on any other machine.
  I've made a list of freeware software that you can use with this list. Again, if you know something that should be on the list but isn't, please let me know (but please, only if the product doesn't have to be paid for).
  If you're thinking about switching to using a nameserver instead of a hosts file, you might find these scripts useful:
• <hosts2bind.php> - allows you to convert an existing hosts file into BIND config format
• <bind-zone-file-creator.php> - generate a basic BIND named.conf file by filling out the fields
  Please note that I've never actually tried any of these products.

  Unix BIND:	http://www.isc.org/sw/bind/
  BIND-PE:	http://ntcanuck.com/
  Bind 8 NT:	http://bind8nt.meiway.com/download.cfm
  DNSKong:	http://accs-net.com/hosts/DNSKong.html
  hhproxy:	http://home.t-online.de/home/sog-luebeck/hhproxy.htm
  Janaserver:	http://www.janaserver.de/en/
  Simple DNS:	http://www.filelibrary.com:8080/cgi-bin/freedownload/Windows/j/112/sdns.zip
  Dnsmasq:	http://thekelleys.org.uk/dnsmasq/doc.html
  Microsoft ISA Server:	http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/default.mspx

Also, check out the links page for more tools & resources.
You might also want to have a look at a list of DNS servers that Microsoft recommends as working with their operating systems, or DNS Resources Directory's index of server software.

• With the Squid Web Proxy Cache
  Squid is a proxy server commonly used in big networks to lower bandwidth usage and speed up download times. It sits between the users and the Internet so it can control network usage intelligently (unlike most browsers / OSes / anything). You can configure it to deny access to particular hostnames or IP addresses, so it's easy to set it up to block ads. I don't use it myself, but Stephen Patterson kindly sent in a script he uses with Squid to block ads. Unfortunately due to me forgetting to add the "plain text (no HTML)" option for viewing the hostnames, it's not necessary anymore, but he did give some good information on how to configure Squid. Apparently all you need to do is define an ads acl in Squid's config file that points to the file with the list of hostnames, then just set that acl to deny:
  acl ads dstdomain "/etc/squid.adservers"
  http_access deny ads
  After that all you need is to keep the list of hostnames up to date. To give you an idea of how you might do that, check out Stephen's script (slightly modified by me). Cheers Stephen!
  Note: This information was originally incorrect (it said "acl ads src" instead of "acl dstdomain src". Many thanks to Patrick Steiner emailing me to point this out.
  Update: Another way of configuring Squid might be effective at blocking ads. Instead of using the "
  dst" acl type (which only blocks access to a specific hostname), the "dstdom_regex" type allows you to block access to domains and all subdomains under them. The first line from the Squid configuration above would then change to:
  acl ads dstdom_regex -i "/etc/squid.adservers"
  Because of the way regular expressions work, you also have to specify the list of ad servers in a particular format to avoid potentially blocking legitimate servers as well as ad servers. To view the list in this format, just select the Squid dstdom_regex option from the select box above.

tools and extras

• - directory containing miscellaneous software
• - directory containing command line scripts listed
• - stuff... miscellaneous stuff...
• <bind-zone-file-creator.php> - form for creating a BIND zone file, with the option to convert an existing hosts file
• <hosts2bind.php> (slightly confusing name, sorry) - converts hosts files into BIND config files (intended for use with ad blocking)
• <null.zone.file> - sample BIND zone file for use with ad server zones
• null.zone.file - alternative null zone file (longer timings by a factor of 10; uses IP 0.0.0.0)

news and stuff

Old news is archived here

# // Tue, 05 May 2026 16:22:06 +0000

I've added a new format for use with RPZ, which returns NXDOMAIN responses instead of 127.0.0.1.

Check it out: https://pgl.yoyo.org/as/serverlist.php?hostformat=rpz-nxdomain.

# // Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:59:00 +0000

Thanks to Claudius Zingerli for suggesting an improvement to the "useip" query string parameter - it now validates against IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, and also accepts simply "localhost" as a value.

# // Fri, 12 May 2023 13:27:04 +0100

Due to the way the caching is set up, I've had to change the format of the skip parameter. Previously, it used the PHP array assignment by allowing for "skip[]=one.example.com&skip[]=two.example.com". This has now been changed to comma separated: skip=one.example.com,two.example.com.

I don't think too many people use this format, so hopefully it won't be too painful. Sorry about this! I couldn't find another solution unfortunately.

# // Fri, 12 May 2023 13:02:07 +0100

The Unbound config file format has been updated to prepend a server: line. This was reported by a helpful user and should have been there all along. Thanks!

# // Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:21:34 +0100

I've added a new query string parameter to my blocklist: onlytrackers. Set to 1 or some non-zero value and it'll only show entries from the list which are explicitly marked as trackers.

There's also an option to hide all trackers: notrackers.

Details on the formats page: https://pgl.yoyo.org/as/formats.php#onlytrackers

Examples:

• https://pgl.yoyo.org/as/serverlist.php?onlytrackers=1
• https://pgl.yoyo.org/as/serverlist.php?notrackers=1

# // Tue, 07 Apr 2020 11:05:42 +0100

Just wanted to share what looks like an excellent app for protecting your privacy: Privacy Sandbox for Android. It's a browser that blocks trackers and ads in the background, supports multiple lists, and can display stats on what's been blocked.

Quite unknown at the time of writing - only 500+ installs - but it seems to be getting good reviews, and worth checking out! And, of course, it supports my list so there's a reason to install it if you need one, hah. Here's a direct URL:

• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.com.anglomate.privacysandbox.