Host remapping

Capture → Host Remapping… sends connections to a host to another host, IP address or port, like an entry in the hosts file. It applies only to traffic through Quena, and no administrator rights or DNS changes are needed.

Typical uses:

• test the production URL against a staging or canary server (api.example.com → 10.0.0.5);
• point an app's backend at a local build (api.example.com → 127.0.0.1:8080);
• try a new server before the DNS change, or one server out of a pool.

Column	Meaning
Host, *.domain or host:port	The name the client uses: api.example.com, or *.example.com for all subdomains (and example.com itself); with :port only connections to that port (api.example.com:8443). The most specific entry wins (one with a port first).
Target	host, IP or host:port (IPv6 as [::1]:8443). Without a port, the original port is kept.
Protocol	as sent (default), or HTTP / HTTPS to the target whatever the client used — e.g. the HTTPS URL of production to a local HTTP dev server (localhost:3000). Without a target port, the other protocol's default port is taken (443 → 80). The client must send HTTPS through Quena with decryption on; undecrypted tunnels keep their protocol. Cannot be combined with a port in the pattern.
keep host	On (default): the request keeps its Host header and TLS server name (SNI), and the server's certificate is checked for the original name — only the connection moves. Off: the request is sent to the target as if it had been addressed there (URL, Host and SNI of the target).

• Import hosts file… adds the entries of the system's hosts file (/etc/hosts, or C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts), without localhost.
• Changes take effect with Save. Entries are checked when saving.
• The status bar shows ↪ N remaps while remapping is on; click it to open the dialog.

Remapping applies to everything Quena forwards:

• requests through the proxy port, SOCKS, transparent and reverse proxy ports;
• HTTPS that is not decrypted (the tunnel goes to the target).

Remapped hosts bypass the upstream proxy, like a hosts-file entry. A target that is one of Quena's own ports is refused, to prevent a request loop.

In the session list

A remapped session has the flag x-quena-remap, e.g. api.example.com:443 → 10.0.0.5:443 (Inspect → Raw, MCP get_session). The connection details show the address actually used.

Remapping or Map Remote?

	Host remapping	Map Remote
Changes	where the connection goes	the URL of the request
Unit	a host name (or *.domain)	a URL prefix or regex
Host header, SNI	kept (by default)	the target's
Also for undecrypted HTTPS tunnels	yes	no

Without a window and for agents

• quena-cli reverse --remap api.example.com=10.0.0.5 (repeatable) — see Reverse proxy.
• MCP tools list_host_remaps, set_host_remap and remove_host_remap.