Simulate a Website Launch

How to Simulate a Website Launch Using the “hosts” File on Your Mac

If you have make a DNS change to launch a new website, but you’d like to check the site out before the DNS change propagates you can do the following:

1. Open terminal
2. Use nano to edit the hosts file with this command (sudo nano /etc/hosts)
3. You will need to enter an admin password to edit the file.
4. Quit your web browser.
5. Flush the DNS cache using the following command

   sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder;say DNS cache has been reset
   

6. Try to visit the site.
7. Under the steps above to put it back the way it was.