trouble adding sub URLs / pages inside a domain to /etc/hosts file

Question

I want the hosts file to block www.url.com/page without blocking www.url.com

step 1
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I've added 127.0.0.1 www.apple.com to my /etc/host file

When I do ping www.apple.com I get this desired result:

64 bytes from localhost (127.0.0.1):

When I try to access www.apple.com in the browser, it gives me the desired error and I cannot access the site www.apple.com

So there is no problem with my browsers cache.

step 2
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Next Ive added /itunes/ to the line above which makes 127.0.0.1 www.apple.com/itunes/

When I do ping www.apple.com/itunes/ I get the desired result

64 bytes from localhost (127.0.0.1):

BUT!!!! When I type www.apple.com/itunes into my browser I am able to connect to apple's itunes site, which is not expected. Writing 127.0.0.1 www.apple.com/itunes/ in my /etc/hosts file should send me to 127.0.0.1 when I type www.apple.com/itunes/ in my browser

conclusion
//////////////// the /etc/hosts file is ignoring suburls like /itunes/ or /ipod/ but works completely fine with domains such as www.apple.com

Why is 127.0.0.1 www.apple.com/itunes/ causing the desired result and 127.0.0.1 www.apple.com not causing the desired result?

Don't tell me browser cache because127.0.0.1 www.apple.com causes the desired result.

UPDATE I have since found out that it is impossible to do what I am trying to do with the hosts file.

The /etc/hosts file can only redirect domains and con not direct pages inside those domains.

answer solved. thank you.

Answer 1

Host file as the name implies, is for HOST, not URL. So apple.com/itunes means nothing. It's not a host.

Answer 2

You are asking an impossible question.

You are asserting that the correct answer is incorrect, and that we can't tell you that.

Further, your understanding of "ping" is limited - you can't ping a URL, only an IP address or domain name. That it works at all is because it is doing some kind of truncation.

In order to understand just how far base your assertion is, you need to understand how a web page request works.

When a URL is entered into the browser, the browser breaks it down into parts, extracting the domain name. It then resolves the domain name into the IP address. (Thats where the hosts file was used).

After this, the browser connects to the IP address, and issues a "GET" command with the remainder of the URL (if its using HTTPS, it does this in an encrypted session). [ FWIW it also specifies to the web server the domain name it used so that the fileserver can support multiple domain names on 1 IP ]

The problem thus has to be in the browser itself.

Your post also appears somewhat contradictory with respect of what you put in the hosts file.

You can't correctly put a URL (or "suburl") as you called it. It is conceivable that this is where your problem occurred, but without knowing exactly what you typed in, that behaviour can't be reproduced.