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Current version of Opera browser doesn't obey etc/hosts file for domains outside the local network. It looks to me like it is using its own DNS resolver.

For example if I create the following entries in hosts file:

127.0.0.1 stackoverflow.com  #IPv4 example
::1 www.stackoverflow.com    #IPv6 example

then Firefox, IE and network tools like ping evaluate stackoverflow.com as localhost (127.0.0.1) but Opera still visits real stackoverflow.com (even after restart).

I view this behavior as unsecure and annoying, as system-wide list of unwanted (dangerous or intentionally blocked) sites is ignored by the browser. Is there a way how to make Opera browser obey the content of etc/hosts file?

miroxlav
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    Do you have Turbo mode on? If you do - read somewhere how it works. That will explain everything. – Kamil Sep 07 '14 at 11:07
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    @Kamil - you are right, it was caused by Turbo. (Initially I couldn't locate its visual indication and on/off switch.) Please add this as the answer and I'll accept it. – miroxlav Sep 07 '14 at 11:14

2 Answers2

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There is Turbo mode in Opera, I guess you have it turned on.

When it is turned on - browser may ignore your local DNS configuration.

How does Opera Turbo work?

The technology behind Opera Turbo is a proxy server with server-side compression of webpages. A compression rate of up to 80% can be achieved, in part by reducing the quality of images.

Source: link

Kamil
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  • Thank you. Just a note that the sentence *"When it is turned on - browser is not using local DNS configuration."* is true only partially because for servers ***not found in Opera's own DNS***, entries in file `etc/hosts` remain in effect. – miroxlav Sep 07 '14 at 12:12
  • Oh, I didn't knew that! Thanks. Ill fix my answer. – Kamil Sep 07 '14 at 12:27
  • Too bad that unlike in older Opera versions, **Turbo has no visual indication**. Of course, there is `Opera Turbo` menu item in Opera main menu, but if the item is checked, it only means that Turbo is *requested where possible*. But if you visit *www.youtube.com* which is NOT covered by Opera Turbo, you have no chance to see that Turbo is not in use. **Then you might be wondering why for www.youtube.com Opera obeys `etc/hosts` and why for www.stackoverflow.com it doesn't...** – miroxlav Sep 08 '14 at 09:06
  • I don't like how they changed Opera. It was one of a kind, very customisable, it was something diffrent, alternative and now... it become "just another browser". I thought they removed Turbo functionality totally, but it looks like it's still there :) – Kamil Sep 08 '14 at 22:38
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I haven't got Turbo turned on but I still had this problem. I found the following superuser post that solved my problem: Why is Chromium bypassing /etc/hosts and dnsmasq?.

Adapting the answer from that post I did the following:

1) In a new tab in Opera I entered the following URL: opera://net-internals/#dns;

2) On the page I clicked the Clear host cache button.

Community
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Simon Elms
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