How to Block a Website in Squid

Squid is an open-source proxy server for Linux-based systems that has a variety of different abilities, such as speeding up access to certain websites, saving websites for offline viewing via a cache and saving repeat requests for certain parts of a network. Squid can also be used to block certain websites from being accessed.

Instructions

1. Type "vi /etc/squid/squid.conf" at the Squid prompt.

2. Search for the "Access Controls" line in the file that appears.

3. Add "acl blocksites dstdomain .foo.com" to the "Access control" section, where ".foo.com" is the website you want to block. Add "http_access deny blocksites" to the line directly below it. Repeat this step for each website you want to block.

4. Close the file and then restart Squid by typing "/etc/init.d/squid restart" at the prompt.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to be as specific as possible when adding the blocked sites. One mistake can block entire parts of the Internet.

References

• Cyberciti: Squid Deny Users Accessing a Website