ArchWebBlocker

A powerful website blocker application with a retro terminal interface for Linux systems, designed to help you manage digital distractions and boost productivity.

Features

• 🚫 Block websites during specified time periods
• ⏰ Set custom blocking schedules for each website
• ⏸️ Temporary pause blocking (up to 15 minutes, max 2 times per day)
• 🖥️ Retro terminal-style interface
• 🔒 System-level blocking using hosts file
• 🔄 Real-time updates and monitoring

Prerequisites

• Linux operating system
• Python 3.6+
• Node.js 14+
• Root access (for modifying hosts file)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/Andebugulin/ArchWebBlocker.git
cd ArchWebBlocker

2. Set up the backend:

cd backend
pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Set up the frontend:

cd frontend
npm install

Running the Application

1. Start the backend server (requires root privileges):

sudo python3 archblocker.py

2. Start the frontend development server:

cd frontend
npm run dev

3. Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5173

Usage

The application provides a terminal-style interface with the following commands:

• add <website> <startTime> <endTime> - Add a website to block

  • Example: add facebook.com 09:00 17:00

• remove <website> - Remove a website from blocking

  • Example: remove facebook.com

• pause <website> [minutes] - Temporarily pause blocking

  • Example: pause instagram.com 5

• list - Show all blocked websites

• refresh - Refresh website list

• status - Check service status

• clear - Clear terminal

• help - Show available commands

Creating a System Service

To ensure ArchBlocker runs automatically on system startup, you can create a systemd service:

1. Create a service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/archblocker.service

2. Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=ArchBlocker Website Blocker
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /path/to/your/archblocker.py
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

3. Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable archblocker
sudo systemctl start archblocker

4. Check service status:

sudo systemctl status archblocker

5. View logs:

sudo journalctl -u archblocker -f

Technical Details

Backend (archblocker.py)

• Built with Flask and Python
• Manages the hosts file for system-level website blocking
• Implements pause functionality with daily limits
• Includes rotating log system for debugging

Frontend (App.jsx)

• Built with React and Vite
• Uses Tailwind CSS for styling
• Features a terminal-style interface using Lucide React icons
• Real-time communication with backend API

Security Considerations

• The application requires root privileges to modify the hosts file
• The API server runs on localhost only
• Uses file immutability protection for the hosts file
• Implements input validation for all commands

Limitations

• Only works on Linux systems
• Requires root access
• Blocking can be bypassed by clearing DNS cache

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is unlicensed