It may happen that you should restrict access to a particular site. There can be many reasons: the desire to focus on a particular project, rather than hanging on some site, limiting the child's ability to explore the World Wide Web, or something else. But how to implement this? How to block a site so that it does not open and no one can see its contents?
What does blocking sites on a computer mean?
Before you answer the question of how to block the site so that it does not open, you need to answer another question. First, what is a lock? This is the inability to access a specific network resource while maintaining current operating conditions. When you try to access a blocked site, a message will be displayed stating that the resource is temporarily unavailable or blocked. Moreover, the first option is preferable for the reason that people do not understand that it is blocked, and do not start looking for the answer to the question of how to block sites on the computer and how to unlock them. In some cases, browsers offer standard ways to overcome the problem, which, as you can understand, do not help. But viewing blocked sites will be impossible if you do with standard instructions.
Differences in scale
It is one thing to restrict access to sites on one computer. And a completely different level of complexity - restrictions in the whole network. So, for the first option, the optimal action is to configure on the computer itself. But in the second one you can either bypass all computers in turn, or put a restriction on the access point (router, server). Of course, the second option is more preferable in terms of time. But if it requires for some employees to leave the opportunity to freely visit all sites, then it will not work.
The easiest way
The simplest answer to the question of how to block sites on a computer is editing the computer's firewall file. Activate the search for files on the computer and enter the word hosts in the search box. The machine will show you the file on drive C - you need it. Run it. Most likely, it will seem to you that the computer could not determine how to open this file. Then right-click on it and select "Open with." In the list of programs presented, look for a notebook and select it.
In the window that opens, go to the end of the file and enter: 127.0.0.1 address of the blocked site.
Save the file and close. The computer will not have access to blocked sites with such a file. A short note for the future: only a user with administrator privileges can edit this file. And if you are afraid to spoil something, you can make a copy of the edited file before making changes in order to regain access to blocked sites in the future.
Locking the router
If there is only one computer, then the previous option will fully satisfy all requests. And if you use a router and it is possible to access various sites using tablets or smartphones? In this case, there is a router lock. Take the manual of your access point and look for information such as your Internet address, username and password. Enter the found address in the browser bar, then in the form that appears - login and password. Then the admin panel will become available to you.
Once in the admin panel, you should look for the possibility of blocking domains. In many routers, the path is as follows: go to "Settings" and look for "Filtering" or "Domain Lock". There should be an interface that allows you to resolve everything except certain domains. It is necessary to indicate where you can’t go, click on the application button and restart the router.
Blocking with browser extensions
If the subject for whom blocking is being used uses Google Chrome or Firefox, then you can set a restriction in these browsers. To do this, you should go to the add-ons section and write something similar to Site block or “blocking sites”. And you will be shown the widest range of add-ons that can block your chosen sites. This solution is a very good answer to the question of how to block sites on the computer, because few people have the thought to think about how to check their extensions. To prevent them from being edited or disabled by another user, extensions can be password protected. Despite the ease of installation, in this method there is one rather noticeable minus - if you remove the browser (and then install it) or the extension itself (from the folder where it is located), then there was no protection.
Lock Bypass Features
But here's how to access a blocked site, access to which was limited using the previously mentioned methods? There are a lot of opportunities to get around the set locks. Some of them may not work in certain cases. Initially, you should remember about anonymizers - special sites that allow you to receive an answer to the necessary requests. But at the same time, requests do not come from the user's IP address, but on behalf of the anonymizer. Let's say someone wondered how to block sites on a computer, and you want to withstand it with dignity. The scheme looks like this: you send data to a specific site. He directs them to the network resource that you want to visit. The answer comes to the anonymizer. And the information received is redirected to you. The downside of this interaction is the lower data exchange rate, but the main goal - gaining access - is being implemented. This, of course, is not the answer to the question of how to unlock a blocked site, but you can still access it.
You can also bypass the locks using special software. One of the most famous is the browser "Thor". Its principle of operation is similar to an anonymizer with the difference that the data is transferred not between the user and some server, but exclusively between the users themselves, while they act as servers for other people. As an example, everything will look like this: users of country A are prohibited from visiting site B, users of country C are prohibited from visiting site D. Users forward requests to each other, and the program makes a request from the recipient, then returns data to the one who is really interested in them. But you should use "Tor" wisely - in connection with the architecture of the program, hacking it and sending it to someone a virus, trojan or just intercepting data like login and password to the site is not the most incredible event.
Here are the two most popular answers that millions, if not tens of millions of users, have opted for, answering the question of how to access a blocked site.
Whitelist sites
But another blocking option is possible - creating a white list of sites. This option involves creating lists of addresses that you can go to. Receiving or sending data to all others will be prohibited. Choosing the right software for you is simple, and there are a great many programs that are distributed free of charge and at the same time have the necessary functionality. Therefore, choose how to block sites on your computer, all the same to you.
Conclusion
The article examined various possibilities of blocking access to various virtual resources, not only how to block sites on a computer, but also how to unlock them. If you liked something, you can use your favorite option.