xhost
TLDR
Display the current access control list
$ xhost
Allow a specific host to connect$ xhost +[hostname]
Deny a specific host from connecting$ xhost -[hostname]
Allow all hosts to connect (disable access control - insecure)$ xhost +
Deny all hosts except those explicitly allowed$ xhost -
Remove a specific user or address using family prefix$ xhost -[family:name]
SYNOPSIS
xhost [[+|-]name...]
DESCRIPTION
xhost manages the X server access control list. It controls which hosts and users can connect to the X display server.
Family prefixes include: inet (IPv4), inet6 (IPv6), si (server interpreted), localuser (local user), and local (local connections).
PARAMETERS
+_hostname_
Add host to access list-_hostname_
Remove host from access list+
Disable access control (allow all)-
Enable access control (restrict to list)+si:localuser:_user_
Allow local user-si:localuser:_user_
Deny local user+inet:_hostname_
Allow by IP family
CAVEATS
Using xhost + is a security risk as it allows any host to connect. For secure remote X access, use SSH X forwarding instead. Access changes are not persistent across X server restarts.
HISTORY
xhost is one of the original X Window System utilities, providing basic access control since the early days of X11.
