I have setup my local development environment on Ubuntu.
I have added this to my host file. 127.0.0.1 voorbeeld.test
When I ping this voorbeeld.test. It is returning 127.0.0.1.
But when I go to Firefox and go to voorbeeld.test it will redirect me to Google.
Did I miss a setting in Firefox?
I think it’s the result of Firefox trying its best to help the user when the address is not resolved by the DNS:
The browser is sending what you enter in the address-bar to your DNS/ISP (for dns-assistence) to be matched and redirected. Then if no match is found, it will be sent to your default search engine as a query.
To completely turn off searching from the address-bar, type “about:config” in the address-bar, find the “keyword.enabled” entry and set it to “false”. Then the address-bar search/redirect will be disabled.
You might want to have the separate search field now, change the search bar setting in the preferences.
Firefox’ default setting is that what you enter in the address-bar first get sent to your DNS/ISP (for dns-assistence) to be matched and redirected, if no match is found then a query will be sent to your default search engine.
To completely turn off searching from the address-bar, type “about:config” in the address-bar, find the “keyword.enabled” entry and set it to “false”.
The address-bar search/redirect will be disabled.
Firefox does some domain-guessing too if enabled. Find the “browser.fixup.alternate.prefix” and “browser.fixup.alternate.suffix” entries and set the prefix and suffix you want Firefox to add to your incomplete typed URLs.
You can still use the address-bar for search if you have a search engine keyword in the search preferences, or you could turn on the “browser.urlbar.oneOffSearches” to display your search engines in a list to pick from. So to have the search box in the toolbar is not necessary.
Firefox has many useful preferences hidden, but they can all be found or created new if not present in the about:config page.
(Type about:about for a list of all about-pages)
I think we need someone that is extensively familiar with the way the internet is designed to work to answer. I think the question is not requesting speculation.
I have tried to research the details of how domain names are resolved and I know it is very complicated. I think you are partially right when you say to your DNS/ISP; the part about it going to your ISP some consider to be malicious, as in DNS hijacking - Wikipedia and routing the request to the browser (so the ISP/browser can show us advertising) is part of that.
If you want to learn more then start by looking for articles about DNS lookup. If you spend a week to a month learning then you are more likely to help.
Not sure what you mean exactly. I tried to explain why his input ended up at Google.
The research I did a few years ago was how Firefox is configured to handle inputs in the address field. I assume the default configuration works much the same in today versions. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
… out of curiousity, did you perhaps go to this address before modifying your hosts file? (A positive cache hit would ignore the request…let’s think horses before zebras, ya?)