Knowledgebase

You can easily access your websites without changing nameservers or DNS using a third-party web proxy or browser plugin or modifying your workstation's /etc/hosts file.

Get the Server IP Address

1. Log in to cPanel.
   
   
2. The server IP address is displayed as "Shared IP Address" under "General Information" on the right sidebar.
   
   

Method 1: Access Using a Web Proxy

You can access your website using one of the following third-party web proxies:

1. https://hosts.click
   
   
2. https://nfpreview.com
   
   
3. https://skipdns.link
   
   
4. https://pro.hosts.click
   
   
5. https://hosts.cx (no longer active)
   
   

While accessing a website using a web proxy seems convenient, it might not be appropriate in all cases. If you get errors, you can use the Hosts File method.

hosts.click:

1. Go to https://hosts.click
   
   
2. Enter the Server IP.
   
   
3. Enter your website URL.
   
   
4. Click Create a Preview URL.
   
   
5. Click the preview subdomain.
   
   
6. Done!
   
   

nfpreview.com:

1. Go to https://nfpreview.com
   
   
2. Enter your domain name (e.g., yourdomain.com or www.yourdomain.com,  without https://).
   
   *Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain.
   
   
3. Enter the Server IP.
   
   
4. Click Create Preview Link.
   
   
5. Click the preview link.
   
   
6. Done!
   
   

skipdns.link:

1. Go to https://www.skipdns.link
   
   
2. Enter the Server IP.
   
   
3. Enter your website URL.
   
   
4. Select Flexible SSL.
   
   
5. Click Go.
   
   
6. Click Open.
   
   
7. Click Yes. Proceed with the proxy.
   
   
8. Done!

Note:

These tools are third-party. MechanicWeb does not endorse their use and is not affiliated with them.

You can also access the site by modifying the hosts file.

Method 2: Modify the Hosts File

Microsoft Windows:

Perform the following steps to modify the /etc/hosts file on a Windows workstation:

1. Open the Start menu.
   
   
2. Type "Notepad" when the start menu is open.
   
   
3. Right-click Notepad and select "Run as Administrator."
   
   
4. In Notepad, open the file C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts:
   
   Click File > Open
   
   Select "All Files" next to "File name:"
   
   Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc
   
   Select "hosts"
   
   Click "Open"
   
   
5. Add the server IP address and your domain under the last entry in the file, for example:
   
   1.2.3.4 yourdomain.com
   1.2.3.4 www.yourdomain.com
   
   or
   
   1.2.3.4 subdomain.yourdomain.com
   
   Note:
   Replace [1.2.3.4] with the server IP address and [yourdomain.com] with your domain name.
   
   
6. Save the file.
   
   
7. Reload your browser for the changes to take effect.
   
   

Note:

Your workstation's operating system will not remove your changes to the /etc/hosts file. Make sure to manually remove the domain name and server IP address in the /etc/hosts file after troubleshooting is complete or to access your website from the current server.

Test If the Modification Is Working

1. Open a Command Prompt on Windows (Start menu > Type cmd) or a Terminal on Linux and macOS.
   
   
2. Type the following command:
   
   ping www.yourdomain.com
   
   
3. The response should reflect your server IP:
   
   PING www.yourdomain.com (1.2.3.4) 56(84) bytes of data.
   64 bytes from www.yourdomain.com (1.2.3.4): icmp_req=1 ttl=58 time=1.40 ms
   
   

You should now be able to view your websites without changing nameservers or DNS.

macOS and Linux:

Perform the following steps to modify the /etc/hosts file if you are using macOS or Linux on your workstation:

1. Open the /etc/hosts file on your workstation with your preferred text editor.
   
   
2. Add the server IP address and your domain under the last entry in the file, for example:
   
   1.2.3.4 yourdomain.com
   1.2.3.4 www.yourdomain.com
   
   or
   
   1.2.3.4 subdomain.yourdomain.com
   
   Note:
   Replace [1.2.3.4] with the server IP address and [yourdomain.com] with your domain name.
   
   
3. Save the file.
   
   
4. Reload your browser for the changes to take effect.
   
   

Method 3: Access Using a Browser Extension

You can access your website by installing a third-party extension to the Chrome web browser.

Google Chrome:

1. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/livehosts/hdpoplemgeaioijkmoebnnjcilfjnjdi
   
   
2. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/virtual-hosts/aiehidpclglccialeifedhajckcpedom?hl=en
   
   

When accessing the website using the above extensions, the website might appear broken, or some functions might not work as expected. That is because the extension uses a different URL (e.g., http://127.0.0.1/www.yourdomain.com/) to access the website.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/vhost-simulator/#:~:text=Click%20the%20VHost%20icon%20in,Host%20in%20the%20Host%20field

Note:

These tools are third-party. MechanicWeb does not endorse their use and is not affiliated with them.

SSL Error When SSL Is Not Installed

If you get an SSL error (e.g., your connection is not private) when accessing the website, you can access it without installing SSL:

How to access a website when SSL is not installed?

How to install SSL certificates?